President Murmu urges doctors to sharpen clinical and communication skills

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday urged doctors to build a sharp clinical sense, as well as sensitive communication skills, which can help them advise patients with sympathy.

Speaking at the first convocation ceremony of AIIMS, Deoghar in Jharkhand, the President called on doctors to make inclusive healthcare their principle at the personal level as well.

“Getting an education at AIIMS is considered a guarantee that they have become skilled doctors,” said President Murmu, while advising the graduating students, “to become a good doctor, along with being a competent and skilled doctor”. “A good doctor should develop a sharp clinical sense as well as sensitive communication skills.

We have all seen that there are some doctors after consulting with whom the patient and his family feel better. “Doctors must be completely clinical in their diagnosis or surgery, but not clinical in their behaviour. Be sympathetic in behaviour and give advice with sympathy,” she said.

The President noted that at the national level, the government is making an effort to minimise the pressure of out-of-pocket expenditure on people related to health.

“In this national effort, institutions like AIIMS Deoghar and doctors have an institutional role as well as an individual role,” President Murmu said, even as she advised all stakeholders of AIIMS Deoghar to come together and make a list of Sustainable Development Goals related to health and medicine and strive to achieve them.

“Our country has to achieve many ambitious goals in the field of healthcare. AIIMS institutions will play a very important role in achieving these national goals,” the President said.

Calling them “beacons spreading light in the darkness,” she urged the institutions to “not only provide world-class specialist medical care at low cost, but also have to play the role of change-agents of the healthcare ecosystem”.