A Letter to my Patients

I have to write this to you. Urgently.

When I get to see you in the hospital or if I get to see you in clinic, I get to see you through all the stages of your life. My specialty of Family Medicine allows me to see you at your most vulnerable and your most celebrated moments.

There is a sacred trust between you and me, and it’s something I never take for granted. I’m forever grateful that you let me take care of you. But I’m writing to you because there are some misunderstandings between you and me, and I need to clarify a few things.

I am just as angry at the healthcare system as you are.

Oftentimes when you see me, I am the face of the system. The system that artificially inflates your prescription drug prices, the insurance company that seems to care more about your wallet than your well-being, and the system that wrongfully denies procedures that you need.

So I know that your anger at the system comes to us, because we are the representation. But I wish you could see how hard we fight for you behind the scenes — the hours we spend advocating for your procedures with insurance companies, the time we take to make sure we give you the most affordable medication possible, and the way we work the system to make sure you get the most value out of your visits.

I wish you could see that we’re fighting the healthcare system together. And that I’m on your side.

I am scared about the misinformation you are being fed.

I saw a post from the current HHS Secretary that said “doctors make profits by keeping you sick.” I need you to know that could not be farther from the truth.

I fear the misinformation you are being fed about lifesaving public health measures like vaccines. I plead with you to change your mind when you refuse to vaccinate, not because I am pushing my agenda, but because I know how important they are for you and your family’s health.

I react with skepticism when you “do your own research” not because I don’t value your opinion, but because I am fearful of the grifters who profit off your fear. I’m scared that you are being misinformed at the federal level, where politics seems to trump science.

I am scared that these relationships are eroding the sacred bond between physician and patient.

And that brings me to my next point: trust.

Betrayal from a system that puts profits over patients and a misinformation machine that profits off your fear makes you question our expertise.

Doctors sacrifice a lot. Four years of undergrad, four years of med school, and three to seven years of residency depending on the specialty. As a resident, I am often working sixty to eighty hours a week.

We don’t just do this to make money. We see medicine as a calling, a commitment, and a sacrifice to improve the lives of our patients.

So the next time you see a doctor, I hope you can listen wholeheartedly to what we have to say.

Our training enables us to look at the evidence carefully and do what is best for you. We are bound by a duty to do no harm. We sacrifice to ensure you get to live a healthy and full life. And we are fighting with you against the healthcare system, not against you.

At the end of the day, I just want you to know that we’re in this together.

I chose this field because I believe in people and in the small ways we can make each other’s lives better. When I see you, I see someone who has trusted me with their story, and that’s not something I take lightly.

I’ll keep showing up, listening, and fighting for you, even when the system makes it hard.

That’s what I owe you as your doctor, and as a person who cares.

KalpyWrites