By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma has revealed that it is his medical profession which prompted him to join politics.
“As a doctor one gets to see the hardship faced by people,” said Dr Sangma while speaking at the Rimsonian Meet 2012 here on Saturday.
“A medical practitioner gets an opportunity to get an insight of the social fabric, the social environment to which we belong and the society which we serve. As a doctor before I prescribe medicines or even refer a patient to another doctor, I have to make a decision keeping in mind the socio-economic background of the patient,” Dr Sangma said. According to the Chief Minister, the medical practitioners have to decide whether a patient can afford costly medicines and while referring patients to other doctors whether those patients would be able to afford the treatment or will they be forced to surrender to the disease due of lack of means.
“It is important for us to know these things about patients and when you try to probe into these you actually see the reality and the truth around you. This enables you to see the plight of people. This gave me an insight to the problems and hardships faced by the society and gave me reason to decide to become a politician,” Dr Sangma said.
The Chief Minister also said he was not asking his medical brethren to join politics but was just showing that “there is a lot of scope and there is a need for medical practitioners to utilize this space appropriately in a manner that suits their profession”.