Questions to ask yourself and "association officials"
I know I am going to be in a minority and going to get flack, but who the hell cares.
From time immemorial from the first human got a low back pain and another human gave IFT, the predominant problem is what should the human call that person? should he call her/him a doctor or the greatest doctor. It was not an issue she/he was not paid, she/he was worried about how she/he was called.
2021, the same problem. what should we call a PT? not can we make a living practicing PT? after 20 years of service can we get a promotion? we cant even move our table in many places without someone telling us - leave alone making a independent decision about patient management. I know people will say, well we do in our department, well for them I say, good for you- but is that the rule or exception?
If you join the government services- most of the places including one of the best medical college in India- MMC- you will do traction and ift for patients with LBP. you will do that until you retire.
In private hospitals- autonomous practice (not independent practice) is a mirage. most of them drudge under a "ortho" who has a blotted ego and poor education on pain management or even the word evidence based physiotherapy. In city I was born, I know hospitals wherein you need to work for 12 hours- 8 hours is uncommon. I am quoting my city because I have seen it- other places I am sure it is there but I am unaware. For all this- we are paid 10 thousand and a good salary is 18 -20 thousand. just try to rent a house in a city and live in that salary.
what it leads to is after you finish your job- you start working- home visits- otherwise we will be poorer than -well most of people in health care other than "doctors". we end up working for 14- 16 hours, for us to make a living income. compounding this many corporate hospitals have started home care for "their" patients employing PTs. and then there are home care companies like portia- which is eating into our source of income. Well that is the nature of market economy.
it just leads to us all feeling as though PTs working in India are just waiting for his/her visa to greener pastures. I once worked in a college, with a bunch of wonderful dedicated PTs- none of them are "here". because, we hardly had a increment, and a selfish bitch as a principal. well I am sure the feeling is widespread in many "colleges". you think-wow they are paying 45 thousand rs. 5 years goes by you are drawing a salary of 45000.
The people who work in a clinic are just the most pathetic. we either don't pay them or pay a pittance you cant even fill petrol with that. I do understand, it is difficult to pay if you run a clinic to your employees very well, as running a clinic needs serious money, especially in bigger cities. that is that.
no wonder, every one wants to go into government service, but for 10 thousand PTs there is hardly 500 jobs. PTs get frustrated and move to other avenues, coding and such work. PTs who want to be in health services after few years get a epiphany - fuck it I have to go abroad.
well now the questions:
1. is calling ourselves as doctor so important than all our problems?
why is so important to call ourselves that? well other than the ego trip it provides- i dont see any value. are more patients going to come to me if i call that? is your hospital going to pay you better? if your college going to treat you better? are they going to pay you when you were unable to go to college during a pandemic? is your ortho going to stop writing IFT and traction for every poor guy who comes with pain? has any country moved to autonomous practice then to independent practice by calling themselves something other than PT or by something else? have we asked them how they changed there practice?
2. have you every fought or raised your voice for "autonomous practice" ?
3. is our syllabus objective written with autonomous practice as the objective?
have any us talked to or lobbied for changes in the syllabus which are meaningful rather than adding "advances like rubbing and sticking".
4. have you every gone and referred "cash" or "dena gardiner" when you had doubt in treating a patient?
is not why the do we call it as "basics" why are we not afraid to change ourselves?
5. Has any of our associations raise there voice about salary or they always lobbying for "government jobs" and council
I am not against lobbying for that, but remember- we are in thousands and we cannot all get into service,
about the council- ask Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra- have any of there life become better because of the council or some fat cats made money in the name of council.
Council will not change any our life- the medical colleges and Eng. colleges are an example of what will not happen even if you have council. It will have a impact but not everyone- some in teaching may benefit.
6. is our associations to give a memorandum with a "politician" about the council alone?
from early 90s where i was also stood in line with others to have a audience with the then CM, till now that is what we do. give memorandum and take photo and say we have done something. as we say in my mother tongue- no hair was plucked by that. my salary did not change, my students still study the same nonsense i studied - IFT and traction, the hospitals still make us do what we are prescribed.
I know i have left out many things, i have left out why we think "doctor" is most important and much more. That was deliberate. I did not write about all the lazy idiots who join the Govt, services and sit and do no work, or the useless teachers who are not fit to teach kindergarten, the exploitation of "girl" students and much more. That is because i thought was obvious for everyone
as i said at the beginning, i know you dont agree, that is alright - let me why i am a wrong and dont understand
Truth👌👌
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