Medical Students Must Be Prepared to Serve

Feb. 28, 2009

N.R.I. Academy of Sciences
Chinakakani-522503
Guntur District, AP

Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA
CEO and EVP
American Medical Association

Namaste.

Greetings and congratulations.

It is an incredible honor to stand here today and greet the first-ever class of graduates of the N.R.I. Academy of Sciences.

Thank you, Dr. Mukkamala, and all the physicians here who guide the students of the N.R.I. Academy.

Your leadership has made today possible.

A defining test of a great nation is its ability to care for its people.

In the last century, the great father of your land, Mahatma Gandhi, liberated India from the British.

One of Gandhi's great lessons was to show through his life how to care for people, and how to save a nation.

Today, you join the noblest of professions.

You have already completed your final exams, yet in your internships, you continue to learn.

Today, you are proud examples for future generations of students of the N.R.I Academy of Sciences.

Tomorrow, and every day after, you will stand tall and go into the community as physicians, as healers, and as advocates for your patients.

Today, I encourage you to look around you, to look at the physician sitting to your right and to your left; at the physician sitting in front of you and behind you; at all of the doctors who you have grown up with here at the Academy — at everyone who you relied upon to succeed.

Tomorrow, and every day after, you will continue to rely on these colleagues as you practice medicine and grow as a physician.

Today, you are here because you have earned the right to be here.

You have earned the right to accept this awesome responsibility and great honor to heal the sick, to provide comfort to the needy, and to serve your community.

Tomorrow, and every day after, you will find strength in that honor.

You will find strength in your work caring for your people.

This is an honor that goes back thousands of years.

This is an honor shared by medical students all over the globe.

It is a great honor of mine to be able to stand here today and welcome you — as you enter this noble profession

The Honor of Serving as a Physician

When I look out upon you, I see the future of medicine in India.

I see a generation of physicians ready to serve their community.

I see young men and young women who are ready to become doctors.

This is an honorable path you have chosen.

Think about how far you have come.

Do you remember those first days in gross anatomy when you were learning about muscles, tendons, organs and what lies beneath the skin for the very first time?

Do you remember your first time pressing a stethoscope to the chest and learning how to tell when a lung was healthy — or when it was filled with fluid and disease?

Do you remember those days?

You should always remember them.

You should always remember them because they are your humble beginning as a physician.

They are a reminder that you will always need to learn.

When I graduated from medical school more than 30 ago, MRIs were not yet being used and CT-scans were only just beginning.

Today, in this great facility, you have these tools at your elbow.

When I graduated medical school, genetics research was in its infancy.

Today, researchers have mapped the human genome, and there are amazing treatments for genetic abnormalities.

There is no question that medical science has grown by leaps and bound since the time I became a doctor.

There is no question that it will continue to grow.

But what you should remember — what you should always remember — is that medicine at its core — at is very center — at its heart beating full of oxygen-rich blood from the body's major arteries — being a doctor is about being there for your patients.

Some would say that the challenges we face are too much.

I would say that it is a physician's responsibility to stand tall for our patients.

Since 1847, the American Medical Association has fought for high quality health care for all Americans, and to improve public health at home and abroad.

We do this in the United States and internationally through the World Medical Association.

We, along with the Indian Medical Association, are among 80 national organizations seeking to improve health on a global scale.

Our concerns and contributions range from medical education to ethical research on humans; bioterrorism to alcohol and health, tobacco use, and obesity.

While the AMA plays a role on the international health care stage, we also have concerns in the United States.

In the U.S., 2008 was a national election year, which made it difficult to get our voice heard sometimes.

There were so many people that we call "pundits" — the "talking heads" you see on television who have an opinion about everyone and everything.

Sometimes I wonder if these "pundits" have a bad case of lockjaw since they never seem to be able to close their mouths.

The U.S. political system is interesting to say the least, and election years make it even more so.

But doctors are not politicians.

We are not "pundits" or "talking heads."

Rather than point fingers, we are professionals who care for the sick and the needy.

We care for the young and the elderly.

We do what we can to help reform health care — in our own country and around the world.

Sometimes, though, we can only do so much.

I have to tell you that I believe it is a disgrace that in the United States — a country that has so much wealth — we still have 46 million people with no health insurance.

Someday, I hope that no man, woman or child ever has to go without medical care because they cannot afford it.

Access to health care should not be about who you know or what you can afford.

We have a lot of work to do in this world of ours.

And I know that there are many challenges here in India.

As a physician, you will have the firsthand knowledge of what your patients need.

That knowledge is critical for the political leaders who make policy.

That knowledge can help guide them toward making better decisions — responsible decisions that will help your patients.

There is great honor in serving as a physician.

As a physician, you will not be able to heal the suffering of every patient, but you must not allow sorrow to turn into despair.

As a physician, you will feel the need to speak out and seek changes in the policies of your country.

I encourage you to exercise that voice.

The Oath

I have more good news for your today.

There will be no exam — but you will be taking an oath.

This oath is both ceremonial and sacred.

This oath is part of a tradition that began thousands of years ago.

You will take this oath today.

It is said that in the 4th Century, B.C., the Greek physician Hippocrates wrote down an oath for physicians that included the famous saying, "Do no harm."

It sounds so simple, but within those three words is contained the magic of being a physician.

But that oath said much more.

I took that oath — not quite as far back as the 4th Century — and I still remember and embrace it today.

To take the Hippocratic Oath is to pledge that "into whatever house you may enter, you will go for the benefit of the sick."

So, do no harm — and commit yourself to action.

It's the type of action that I think one of the greatest fathers of this country would smile upon.

"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching," Gandhi once said.

Now, I don't know what he thought of doctors, but I think he would smile upon you and the work you will undertake in your career.

He said that, "In a gentle way, you can shake the world."

Helping one patient at a time, you will shake the world.

At its core, the Hippocratic Oath promises a sacred trust between the doctor and his or her patients.

For those who have the privilege and honor to take this solemn oath, they pledge to "abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption."

And I might add — as someone who has spent his career helping educate physicians — the oath also promises that you will "always honor your teachers."

As I look out and see the many proud professors of this institution, I think it is wise counsel to remember their lessons.

Your teachers will always be there for you because they also took an oath to share the art and science of medicine to all those who are worthy.

My fellow physicians, I know you will always practice the art and science of medicine in ways that give honor to your teachers.

I know you will always follow the Oath of Hippocrates.

You Must Continue to Learn

When I was asked to talk with you today, I thought of many things, including the distance between my hometown in Chicago, Illinois, and here in Vijayawada.

On one hand, the distance is more than 13,000 kilometers.

But consider that in today's world, this distance was easily overcome by modern technology.

Many of my friends and colleagues in the United States have heard me talk about this school.

They have heard me talk about the founders of this Academy — men and women who donated generously to build the walls and floors that helped you grow as doctors.

My friends and colleagues asked me about medical education in India, and I told them about your advanced studies and academic excellence.

I told them how this is a school that shares much in common with medical schools in the United States.

I told them how this medical school is training young men and women to become servants of medicine and leaders in their community.

Gandhi said that "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people."

It is apparent that this medical institution, this place that has been blessed by the goddess Saraswati.

This is a sacred place, and you are its soul.

As you begin your careers, always remember that physicians are an essential part of keeping those hearts healthy and those souls filled with hope.

As you go into the community, there will be times when you will do everything possible and you will not be able to overcome your patients' suffering.

You will be tested.

You will feel the bitter stab of not being able to overcome nature.

That, too, is part of being a doctor — because then you will need to provide comfort to the family.

You must always remember that your patients deserve all of your attention and your care.

You must always remember to challenge your understanding of medicine, to always be open to learning.

Medicine is both an art and a science, and it requires compassion and respect.

It requires a commitment to ethics and professionalism.

It requires the type of training you received here — the type of commitment you showed throughout the years.

Your great Prime Minister Nehru said that "Ignorance is always afraid of change."

You are lucky because a doctor's life is always changing — in a doctor's life, you are always learning.

As Prime Minister Nehru said, "The future belongs to science and those who make friends with science."

My fellow physicians, you are the future.

Your Career in the World

When I first visited this wonderful place, I envisioned a scene just like today.

You have witnessed this facility grow around you.

You have seen yourself — and your colleagues grow into doctors.

You are the first graduating class.

You will be looked upon by every other medical student to enter this Academy with pride.

Your example shows them what is possible in this land.

It makes me think of the recent movie, "Slumdog Millionaire."

Your teachers tell me that it has been very popular here in India.

As you probably know, just last week it won the Academy Award in Hollywood for being the Best Picture of the Year.

This was a movie that captured the American imagination because we are a nation that rose up from having nothing to showing the world what is possible.

India, too, has shown the world what is possible when its people rise up and demand their independence from oppression.

Many of you will stay here in this state — in this region — to practice medicine.

You will be doing a great service to your community and your nation by doing so.

In treating the poor, you are liberating them from the oppression of disease.

There is nothing more noble than that.

Some of you will go elsewhere — perhaps some will join the 45,000 Indian physicians in the United States.

The United States relies on the talents and skill of your countrymen and women.

We are grateful they have chosen our shores to practice medicine and care for our citizens.

In the U.S., there are Indian physicians in communities rich and poor.

There are Indian physicians who have become our nation's most respected experts and university researchers — some of them are here with us today.

Sanjay Gupta — a physician of Indian descent — is considered a front-runner to become the U.S. Surgeon General for President Obama.

These things were simply not possible when I graduated from medical school.

But they are today.

You have the world in front of you.

What an exciting time to be a doctor.

Conclusion

Finally, I'd like to take a moment to speak directly to those of you staying here — staying right here in this community.

I want to let you know that you're about to have some company.

I'm not the only one who has enjoyed this Academy's hospitality.

I'm not the only one who knows of this Academy's excellence.

My son, who many of you have met, is so impressed that he's coming for a full year to take classes.

Believe me, I love it that he wants to study more.

But I will certainly miss him.

As a father, I always want to be sure that he is safe.

Here at the Academy, I know he is in good hands.

I know he will be safe.

He is in the hands of physicians schooled in the art and science of medicine.

He is in your hands.

For that, my fellow physicians, I am grateful.

Namaste.

###