The 10 Signs You Are Being Treated by an Unethical Doctor

I am a type 2 diabetic since 2004 and I always took diabetes very seriously. After 15 years, my HBA1C reading is around 6.5 (recently a diabetologist said ‘WOW’ on this reading). HBA1C gives you picture of glucose in your blood of last three months.

In 2007, I visited a famous rather an infamous diabetologist in Lahore whose clinic is on Jail Road. He prescribed around 6 medicines. On my raising concern over so much medicines, he explained the rationale of each medicine.

• Two medicines were for controlling blood glucose.
• One medicine for heart.
• One medicine for hypertension.
• One was for kidneys.
• One was for neuropathy.

I asked him why I was being treated for heart, kidneys, hypertension and neuropathy when my reports were clear of any diabetic complications. He explained that diabetics were prone to complications related to heart and kidney, so he was giving preventive therapy. I was bit confused.

I took prescription and visited couple of famous pharmacies in my locality but no pharmacy was carrying few of his prescribed medicines. I called the doctor to inform him that his prescribed medicines were not available at major pharmacies. He told me that all medicines were available on pharmacy outside his clinic. Unhappily, I drove my car to his suggested pharmacy to buy medicines. My confusion about this doctor got stronger.

I take medicines with religious discipline. I started taking regime of his prescribed medicines and in a week’s time I started feeling signs of impotency (I was 100% fit before starting his prescription). In 10 days, I was completely impotent. I called the doctor and told him about my problem and his response was: “Erectile Dysfunction is common among diabetics.” I said, “Are you kidding? Do diabetics lose libido in 7 days or they develop impotency gradually? I was fit 10 days back and what have you done to me?” I was rough in my tone. He invited me to his clinic to discuss the matter in detail. I took appointment, paid fee and visited him and he prescribed Viagra for me. Leaving my gentlemanliness aside, I started talking to him in rough tone and told him that I was not a Viagra lover and I would not take that at all. “Treat my erectile dysfunction or you are in deep shit.” I shouted on him and then I showed a leaflet of one of his prescribed medicines (beta blocker category) and told him to read side effects of beta blockers on sexual life.

When I rejected his Viagra therapy, he prescribed medicines containing tribulus terrestris, zinc, vitamin E and selenium. He advised me to take that medicine for three weeks to restore my system. I left his clinic warning him that if my system did not restore in three weeks, I will make sure you will not be able to carry on your practice. I stopped taking all non-diabetic medicines prescribed by him and visited another doctor to discuss my plight.

It took me around three weeks to treat ED (Erectile Dysfunction). After 12 years, I am still 100% FIT, with absolutely no signs of ED. My kidneys and heart are in excellent shape (I get tested regularly). I have still no signs of hypertension and neuropathy. I take only combination of glimepiride and metformin to control my blood glucose. By grace of God, I am living an active and absolutely happy life.

 The Viagra promoter doctor is very active on Facebook for live videos on diabetes. Whenever I watch his videos, I wonder how many diabetic patients he made impotent with unnecessary prescriptions and how much commission he must be minting from Viagra distributors. Today, I posted a following question on my Facebook and LinkedIn:

What are the Signs of a Bad and Unethical Doctor?

A large number of people responded to my question at Facebook and LinkedIn with very insightful responses. I would summarize my social media community’s responses with 10 points.

1. Unethical doctor’s prescribed medicines will not be widely available (You will find on a few pharmacies located near his clinic).
2. Unethical doctor will prescribe large number of medicines, particularly vitamins, stress relievers, sleep inducers, mood enhancers. Such heavy prescribers are being compensated by pharmaceutical companies whose medicines they are pushing.
3. Unethical doctor will prescribe medicines of unknown local companies.
4. If a doctor advises you to visit an unknown local blood testing laboratory for reports, be suspicious of his ethics. He is getting commission from the laboratory.
5. If a doctor gets annoyed with changing his prescribed medicine with the same molecule of another company (equally famous), you are being treated by a brute merchant rather than Messiah.
6. If a doctor is insisting on in-house vaccination, chances are you are being treated by a doctor who is involved in malpractices.
7. If a doctor starts treating your acute disease outside his area of specialization and does not refer you to concerned specialist, you are with doctor whose priority is to earn fee rather than taking care of your health.
8. When a doctor terms your previous doctor a quack (although he is equally qualified and experienced), it is a sign of non-professionalism.
9. Doctors who are rude, disrespectful of patient’s time, get annoyed when you discuss medicines and mode of therapy with them certainly don’t qualify for noble profession.
10. If a doctor’s international ‘educational’ tour along with spouse and kids is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company, he has either prescribed enough medicines of that company to qualify for international tour or he has promised to prescribe their medicines on return. In either case, his loyalty is with pharmaceutical company not with patients.

There is a famous movie Patch Adams in which Dr. Hunter Patch Adams, role played by legendary actor, Robin Williams, emphasizes on role of empathy, humor and compassion in treating patients. He says:

“When you treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you will win, no matter what the outcome.”

Ashraf Chaudhry is Pakistan’s #1 Sales Trainer, author and social media influencer. Google Ashraf Chaudhry to know more about him. You may follow him at his Facebook page and LinkedIn.