Amid the NEET Controversy, a Bigger Question: Where Does Compassion Get Lost on the Journey to Becoming a Doctor?

By Dr. Satyawan Saurabh

Whenever the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted in India, the discussion extends far beyond examination results. Every year, controversies surrounding paper leaks, transparency, reservation policies, cut-off marks, and the immense psychological pressure on millions of students dominate public discourse. The dreams of countless aspirants rest on this single examination. Parents invest their lifetime savings, students dedicate years of relentless preparation, and society celebrates successful candidates as the future guardians of human life.

Yet, amid all these debates, one of the most important questions is rarely asked. Why do some of these students, who enter medical colleges with dreams of serving humanity, eventually become doctors whose conduct leaves patients disappointed? Why do some patients feel that the person sitting across from them is no longer a healer but a businessperson? This is not an accusation against the medical profession as a whole, but rather an attempt to examine a system that can sometimes transform a compassionate student into an emotionally detached professional.

It is important to acknowledge that the vast majority of doctors in India continue to serve with honesty, dedication, and compassion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of physicians risked their own lives to care for patients. Doctors working in remote rural areas with limited resources continue to uphold the dignity of the profession every day. Judging the entire medical community based on the actions of a few would be deeply unfair. However, if public trust in doctors is declining, it is equally important to understand why.

The problem often begins long before medical school. Preparing for NEET has become a highly competitive industry. Coaching institutes frequently define success solely in terms of ranks, scores, and securing a medical seat. Medicine is increasingly viewed as a symbol of prestige and achievement rather than a profession of service. When the sole objective becomes obtaining admission at any cost, discussions about compassion, social responsibility, and human values gradually fade into the background.

The financial burden of medical education further complicates the issue. Students admitted to expensive private medical colleges often spend not just lakhs but even crores of rupees on their education. Many families take substantial loans to fulfill their children’s dreams of becoming doctors. Under such circumstances, some graduates begin to see their profession as an investment that must generate financial returns. Although this mindset contradicts the true spirit of medicine, the commercialization of medical education has undeniably contributed to it.

Medical education itself is exceptionally demanding. Years of rigorous study, exhausting internships, sleepless nights, constant exposure to critically ill patients, emotional stress, and intense training all shape a young doctor’s personality. If this journey does not include adequate emotional support, ethical education, and training in compassionate patient care, patients may gradually become “cases” rather than human beings.

The realities of government hospitals add another layer to the problem. Doctors are often required to treat hundreds of patients daily while dealing with limited resources, shortages of medicines, and administrative pressures. Under such conditions, giving every patient sufficient time is nearly impossible. In private hospitals, doctors may face revenue targets, performance metrics, and financial pressures. As a result, the line between healthcare and business can become increasingly blurred.

The issue is not solely about doctors. The healthcare system itself often creates circumstances in which empathy gradually erodes. Constant stress, fear of litigation, incidents of violence against healthcare professionals, social media criticism without factual basis, and unrealistic expectations of miraculous outcomes place enormous psychological pressure on doctors. When both society and the system keep professionals under continuous strain, it is only natural that their behavior may be affected.

Nevertheless, certain practices can never be justified. Unnecessary diagnostic tests, commission-based referrals, excessive medical fees, or disrespectful treatment of patients undermine the very foundation of medical ethics. Medicine is not only a science but also a profession built on trust. Once that trust is broken, rebuilding it becomes extremely difficult.

Perhaps the greatest weakness lies in medical education itself. Students receive extensive training in anatomy, disease diagnosis, and modern treatment methods, yet compassion, communication, empathy, and medical ethics often receive far less emphasis than they deserve. Patients need more than medicines—they need reassurance, understanding, and trust. Sometimes, a doctor’s kind words can be as healing as any prescription.

The debate surrounding NEET should therefore extend beyond examination fairness. If India truly wants a stronger healthcare system, medical education must be rooted not only in scientific knowledge and technical excellence but also in human values. Medical colleges should integrate ethics, community service, rural healthcare exposure, communication skills, and mental health training as essential components of the curriculum. Students must understand that medicine is not merely a career—it is a lifelong responsibility toward society.

The government also has a crucial role to play. Increasing the number of government medical colleges, making private medical education more affordable, recruiting more doctors in public hospitals, and improving working conditions are essential reforms. Only when the system itself becomes balanced can it consistently produce professionals who are equally balanced.

Society, too, must engage in self-reflection. Expecting miracles from doctors, resorting to violence after an unfavorable outcome, or condemning the entire medical fraternity without evidence solves nothing. The relationship between doctors and patients is built on trust, and preserving that trust requires responsibility from both sides.

Ensuring fairness in NEET is important, but it is even more important to ensure that every graduate emerging from a medical college is not only academically successful but also deeply compassionate. India needs doctors whose hands possess scientific skill, whose minds are enriched with knowledge, and whose hearts remain filled with empathy. Medicine is not merely a profession—it is one of humanity’s noblest forms of service.

If, alongside debates about NEET, we also seriously examine why compassion sometimes weakens during the journey of becoming a doctor, perhaps the future will produce not only excellent physicians but also doctors whom patients can trust without fear or hesitation. The true strength of any nation’s healthcare system is measured not by its hospitals, machines, or technology, but by the trust shared between doctors and patients. Preserving that trust is our greatest collective responsibility.

Dr. Satyawan Saurabh is a Ph.D. in Political Science, a poet, and a social thinker.

(SDNA)