King George’s Medical University: Inculcating a Service Mindset

The case narrates the dilemma faced by Dr Ravi Kant, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of King George’s Medical University, and the steps he took to resolve the same. The widely reputed public hospital had, under the leadership of Dr Ravi Kant, successfully introduced a series of communication interventions in the hospital in 2015. The aim of these interventions was to sensitize the doctors on the importance of empathy, patient-centred care, and its outcomes in line with the recent directives of the Medical Council of India. However, no tangible benefits of these interventions were visible, just yet. Doctor–patient clashes were far more frequent. Many times, the university almost came to a standstill because of flash strikes by the junior doctors and even doctors in residence. The VC was often confronted with disgruntled patients, irritated patient attendants, an angry media and missives from the state government. The key issues highlighted in this case are: How to make the doctors more responsive to the needs of the patient? What additional measures should be initiated to inculcate values of medical ethics and empathy within the doctors? What more could be added to the medical curriculum to bring about a greater change in perspective? Finally, how to develop a service mindset?