A17-year-old girl was beaten to death by her father for not getting good score in a mock test for the pre-medical National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Sangli, Maharashtra, recently. The bright girl who had scored 95 per cent in Plus II lost her life at the altar of parental and societal expectation. These kinds of incidents have become all too common in India, where becoming a doctor or an engineer is perceived as one of life’s biggest achievement. This societal mentality that takes the form of unrealistic parental expectations has cut many young lives short. Kota in Rajasthan which is known for its NEET coaching centres has acquired the dark title of the suicide cap[1]ital for NEET students. The pressure to qualify NEET is so high that most students struggle with mental health issues, and many give up on life altogether. Media spotlight on Kota and the pressures students face has hardly helped change anything. Once a student cracks the examination, the family gloats and preens and the student is thrown into another long period of medical studies under intense pressure. It is no wonder many students are forced to tolerate ragging, bullying, even torture, and opt to end their lives, but never think of quitting medicine after getting through a good medical college. Their path, dictated by parents and society, is carved in stone, and they are helpless in deciding their own career of choice and future life path. Such is the case with countless students in India whose parents are obsessed with making them a doctor or an engineer.
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The endless cycle of pressure doesn’t stop even when medical students graduate. In many government hospitals, they often find themselves at the receiving end of mob fury. And in corporate hospitals, they are asked to chase targets in the form of patient admissions, tests and other forms of treatment. The principle of service, which is supposed to be at the core of the medical profession, dies a slow death in this phase. Doctors become sales agents with the primary objective of profit maximisation. Treatment of patients becomes secondary in a country where an average Indian family is just one disease away from bankruptcy. A commercialised healthcare sector attracts more students into the profession. This is evident in the ever-growing demand for medical colleges in the country, even with the opening up of various sectors and professions in the post-digital era.
The obsession of Indians with medical and engineering comes from a lack of entrepreneurial spirit, where starting your business initiative is frowned upon. From a young age, children are groomed to study hard and aspire to become a doctor, engineer or an IAS officer. Rest of the professions, however fulfilling or financially rewarding, are considered second best, while entrepreneurship is considered the last option. That is also why while we rue the lack of successful medal winning sportspersons, artists who can wow at the global stage and business leaders to look up to, we would not allow our children to walk a different path at the time when it truly matters, when we have to choose between prioritising studies or passion. The age of internet and social media has opened up vast avenues for youngsters to prove their worth and make money. But schools are still stuck in a rut. In the Indian schooling system, only the students performing well in academics are appreciated, and other creative abilities and passions are categorised as ‘Extra’ Curricular, be it sports, quizzing, music, art or anything else. This dangerous obsession with academics and especially with the medical profession is literally snuffing out young lives and ruining careers of many bright students who could have otherwise shone in careers of their own choosing. It is time for society and family to loosen the death grip and let young people find joy in whatever profession they choose to follow and shine in it.