Khammam: 45 per cent doctors fail to follow dress code

Khammam: Doctors working in government hospitals, who are not properly dressed in their white aprons, have become a matter of serious concern for the government.

It has been found that 45 per cent of doctors do not wear the white apron while working in government hospitals. The figure is more pertaining to the doctors working in primary health centres. The doctors there visit their respective PHCs with ease and carelessness. This attitude will have an impact on the profession and the patients too are unhappy with the behaviour of the doctors.

It is difficult for the patients to identify the doctors with it. A white long coat or lab coat aka apron is worn by professionals in the medical field. This coat is made up of cotton, linen, polyester or a mixture of both. Before the middle of the nineteenth century, only scientists who worked in the laboratories used to wear lab coats, which were light pink or yellow in colour. Later, the doctors started wearing white aprons.

Joint Director for medical and health department, Janardhan Reddy, who visited Khammam district found many doctors not wearing white aprons. With this, the government is considering issuing a circular on wearing aprons with name plate.

Professional commitment should be shown by every doctor by following the system, including wearing an apron, treating the patients with care, using sober language before patients and trying to instil confidence among the patients.

The government has not focussed on the dereliction of duties by doctors in their profession causing deaths of patients.

Such incidents have been witnessed in Khammam and Kothagudem district headquarters hospital. It has been observed that lack of seriousness towards professions is one of the reasons for it. Keeping all the problems in view, the government wanted to implement a dress code from PHCs to district headquarters hospitals.