Book by city-based doctors unwraps unethical practices

78 doctors from across the country wrote testimonies for the book which will be released on February 26 at AIIMS in New Delhi.

Many doctors have clearly decided that there is no choice but to practice medicine as if one is running a business. They were involved in ‘cut practice’ right from the beginning. After the advent of large and corporate hospitals, these practices have increased further,’’ says Dr Vinay Kulkarni, a skin specialist from Pune.

Dr H V Sardesai, a city-based senior physician, says that there is a cut practice where pharmaceutical companies take doctors on foreign tours. They make all the arrangements and the doctors pretend to be on a study trip. “Unfortunatelym, there are many doctors who enjoy all this. Why is there such a large difference between prices of the same medicine sold by different pharmaceutical companies when the chemical used is the same?” he said.

Dr Rajendra Malose, a general practitioner from Nashik, however, is blunt when he points out that doctors get Rs 30-40,000 just for referring a patient for angioplasty. Dead patients continue to be kept on ventilators, until the anger of their relatives cool off, he says. As soon as an accident takes place on the highway, seven or eight persons go running to the site and take charge. “Is it a good or a bad thing that they promptly take such patients to orthopaedic wards of corporate hospitals?” he asks.

These revealing testimonies of 78 doctors from various parts of the country about the reality of private medical practice in India has been compiled in a book authored by Pune-based Dr Abhay Shukla and Dr Arun Gadre. It will be released on February 26 at AIIMS in New Delhi. The book is an English translation of the Marathi one — Kaifiyat pramanik doctoranchi (reflections by sincere doctors).

It contains interviews of 78 practicing doctors from Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai. “These whistleblower doctors have mustered the ethical courage to expose facts for the first time on such a scale,” Dr Arun Gadre says.

Several doctors spoke up including Dr Vijay Ajgaonkar, senior diabetologist from Mumbai, who says, “Now our greed has increased to the extent that when a patient of one consultant goes to another consultant, the second one prescribes the same medicine, but merely changes the brand to show that he is doing something different. And it is true that this profession has now become completely commercial.”

Huge corporate hospitals and multi-speciality hospitals are growing in number. These organisations put pressure on all the doctors linked to the hospital and on their full-time doctor employees.
“Unnecessary investigations are then forced upon the patients,” says Ajgaonkar. Dr Shyam Kagal, a city-based physician, says that in the past he was attached to a certain hospital where the management told him plainly that to continue work he would have to admit a certain minimum number of patients every month.

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Dr Sanjay Gupte, a city-based gynaecologist and ex-national president of FOGSI, hit the nail on the head saying corporate hospitals want only those doctors who can help them to earn more money. “As a result, doctors who practise ethically cannot last there. I know of a hospital where if the patient is charged Rs 1,50,000, the doctor gets a mere Rs 15,000. Ninety percent of the income goes into the corporate coffers,” he adds.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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