The Importance of Good Education, Character and Integrity in The Profession of Medical Doctors

It is true that medical doctors are health professionals whose roles are of great importance in the society. They are usually educated and people generally look up to them to take good care of their health issues. In fact, whether people live or die depends to a very great extend on the doctors in charge of their health situations, depending on how serious they are. Almost everyone wants a doctor that is vastly knowledgeable in the medical field, especially those with many years of experience.

Although I agree that the level of education of a medical doctor is of much importance for a doctor to be regarded as a “good medical doctor”, I am also of the opinion that that is not the only criterion for a doctor to be regarded as a “good medical doctor”. Character and the integrity of the person contribute to a large extend. I am also of the view that a medical doctor should be a very responsible person in the society because a lot of people tend to emulate them. Young adults usually look forward to becoming medical doctors in the future. That being the case, they tend to copy the behaviors of medical doctors they know.

The country where I come from, Nigeria, where the health system has some issues, some medical doctors who lack good character and do not care about their integrity can, because a patient does not have enough money to pay their medical bills, walk away from a dying patient. During oath taking, these doctors state that they will put patients first before anything, but some of them do not keep up with this. Although I agree that doctors in the third world countries usually face some challenges, I am still of the opinion that when it comes to saving a patient’s life, a good medical doctor should always swing into action. In Canada, though I have stayed here for just a year, I think many of their doctors can be regarded as “good doctors” from the little I have seen.

In conclusion, I believe that a well educated doctor without a good character and integrity and also without a passion to save lives is as good as a “bad doctor” since, with his education but with love for money rather than love for his patient’s lives, can still lead to the loss of lives.