We salute those physicians who honour the Hippocratic Oath, place patient welfare above all, and truly uphold the promise of ‘no harm’. Indian doctors are respected across the globe. Most are dedicated professionals who serve with compassion and uphold ethical and humanistic traditions. However, the growing number of unethical practitioners in the country is cause for serious concern.

Cases of rape, murder, violence, and controversy within hospitals are on the rise. Discipline and moral boundaries are being violated. Behind the sacred image of the medical profession lies a disturbing reality: unethical practices, gross negligence, and a relentless profit chase are eroding public trust in healthcare.

From deadly medical errors to fraudulent nursing homes and commission-driven prescriptions, recent cases reveal how some doctors and hospitals are betraying their noble calling.

Negligence and incompetence have led to horrifying tragedies. In 2023, a 32-year-old woman died during a routine cesarean operation at a Delhi hospital. Investigation revealed the doctor failed to monitor her oxygen levels—an oversight that devastated an entire family.

In another 2024 case in Mumbai, a 45-year-old man lost his leg due to a misdiagnosed gangrene. The doctor delayed essential tests, letting the condition worsen beyond repair. These are not isolated incidents. According to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, India records over 1,500 medical negligence cases annually, many resulting in permanent disability or death. These tragedies expose systemic failures in training, oversight, and accountability.

Nursing homes—once seen as safe havens for the elderly—have in some instances turned into exploitation centres. In 2024, a Bengaluru nursing home was exposed for extracting lakhs from families for fake tests and unnecessary treatments. Elderly patients, often unable to speak up for themselves, were left in poor conditions for months while their families were financially drained.

In Kolkata, a nursing home chain was accused of falsifying records to claim insurance money while failing to provide basic hygiene or nutrition. Such scams prey on the vulnerable and turn care institutions into profit machines.

The commercialisation of medicine is further eroding the Hippocratic ethos. In India, it’s an open secret that doctors receive commissions for recommending specific tests or branded drugs. In 2023, The Indian Express uncovered that certain diagnostic labs in Delhi were offering doctors up to 30 per cent commission on test fees, resulting in a flood of unnecessary MRIs and blood tests. Unaware patients bear the financial and health consequences of such overtreatment.

Pharmaceutical companies, too, incentivise doctors to prescribe branded over generic medicines, inflating patients’ expenses. A study in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics revealed that 40 per cent of doctors admitted to accepting gifts or commissions from pharma firms—a practice that skews treatment decisions and burdens patients with costly prescriptions. This profit-driven model prioritises revenue over recovery, in direct violation of medical ethics.

Keeping patients in the ICU longer than necessary is another disturbing trend. In a 2024 Chennai case, a 70-year-old terminally ill patient was kept in intensive care for weeks despite having no chance of recovery. The family claimed the hospital delayed discussions on palliative care to inflate the bill, which ultimately totalled ₹20 lakhs.

Such practices exploit families' emotional vulnerability, plunging them into debt for futile or marginal care. According to the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, ICU overuse is often driven more by financial motives than medical necessity, turning intensive care wards into revenue engines. This not only overburdens families but also denies ICU beds to patients who truly need them.

These irresponsible practices reflect a healthcare system drifting away from the Hippocratic Oath. The World Medical Association emphasises that ethical care must prioritise patient well-being. Yet, in India, medical decisions are increasingly dictated by market forces.

Now, let us also demand accountability and systemic reform, so that Indian healthcare can once again become a true temple of healing, not a marketplace of profit.