Latest
When the White Coat Feels Like a Target: Why Doctors and Patients in Bangladesh Are Breaking Each Other's hearts
Dear Reader, This One’s Personal
This isn’t just an article.
It’s a love letter.
And a breakup letter.
And maybe—just maybe—a plea to make things right again.
I’m a doctor from Bangladesh.
And I’ve sat on one side of the consultation table for years,
but I’ve been silently watching what’s happening on the other side too.
And it’s heartbreaking.
The Diagnosis? Trust Deficiency. Prognosis? Critical.
We were supposed to be allies—doctors and patients.
But what we’ve become are two wounded tribes, circling each other with suspicion.
You don’t believe us anymore.
You believe Google, your cousin who failed HSC, the pharmacy owner who didn’t pass class eight but sells antibiotics like candies.
And we don’t blame you—
We just mourn the relationship we lost.
Doctor, I’m Sorry—But I Don’t Trust You Anymore
Here’s what patients actually say (or think) in Bangladesh:
“Doctors are agents of diagnostic centers.”
“They give commission-based prescriptions.”
“They don’t care unless you’re a VIP.”
“One said it’s viral, another said surgery. They don’t even know themselves.”
“She spent 6 years in med school and still can’t fix my stomach gas?”
“My local pharmacy uncle gives better advice. Cheaper, too.”
And each word cuts like a surgical blade into our tired, overworked, underpaid hearts.
Doctor, I See You Too—and You’re Drowning
Let me tell you about the heartbreak on our side:
The young doctor in a rural health complex getting screamed at because a patient died from a snakebite brought in 5 hours too late.
The female doctor getting harassed for asking a male patient to describe his pain properly.
The junior intern who cried in the bathroom because she was accused of “not caring” when she hadn’t slept in 38 hours.
Me, sitting at my desk, wondering why I feel like a criminal just for doing my job.
We wanted to heal, not hustle.
We wanted to serve, not sell.
But the system is broken, and now, so are our spirits.
The Terrible Love Triangle: Doctor vs. Patient vs. Dr. Google
You walk in with a diagnosis already printed from the internet.
You’ve decided what you have, what medicine you want, and you’re just here for a stamp.
If I disagree, I’m arrogant.
If I explain, I’m “showing attitude.”
If I’m quiet, I’m “hiding something.”
And yet, you’d rather trust:
Your neighbour’s aunt who once took the same pill.
A Facebook post from an unverified health page.
The village pharmacy guy who hands out antibiotics for fevers, colds, heartbreak, and maybe even heartbreaks.
This hurts.
Not just our profession—our purpose.
Why This Relationship Is Dying in Bangladesh
1. Overloaded Public Health System
Doctors are rushed, patients are many.
You wait for 4 hours to get 4 minutes.
And it feels like no one truly “saw” you.
2. Corruption, Real and Rumored
Yes, there are unethical practitioners.
But not all of us are them.
Still, the shadow of a few falls over us all.
3. Misinformation Pandemic
From WhatsApp forwards to YouTube quacks—
People don’t just have access to health information.
They have access to health confusion.
4. Cultural Silence and Superstition
Mental health? Taboo.
Cancer? A death sentence.
Fever? Must be jinn, not dengue.
Doctors are left fighting science, stigma, and centuries of fear—all at once.
5. The Breakdown of Basic Human Connection
We stopped seeing each other as humans.
You see me as a “businesswoman.”
I see you as “noncompliant.”
And the love we once had is buried under broken trust.
But... I Still Believe in Us
I’ve had moments that remind me why I started this journey.
The old mother who brought homemade sweets after her son recovered.
The teenager who called me “apa” and cried just because I listened.
The man who said, “You’re the first one who didn’t scold me for having depression.”
We are not beyond repair.
We’re just bruised. Both of us.
Prescribing Hope: What We Can Do
To My Fellow Doctors:
Let’s listen a little longer.
Let’s explain things in Bengali, not medical jargon.
Let’s rebuild the bridge, one patient at a time.
To My Dear Patients:
Come to us with your worries, not your judgments.
Ask questions. But also, listen.
Trust takes time. Give us a chance to earn it.
To the System:
Invest in healthcare education and ethics.
Crack down on quackery.
Give doctors space to breathe, and patients space to trust.
In the End, We’re All Just Trying to Be Heard
Maybe healing doesn’t start with medicine.
Maybe it starts with eye contact.
With “How are you really feeling?”
With “I know you’re scared. Let’s figure this out together.”
Because when trust returns,
so will love.
So will laughter.
So will healing.
SEO Keywords for Reach
Doctor-patient mistrust in Bangladesh
Why patients don’t trust doctors anymore
Rural health issues in South Asia
Quacks vs. real doctors in Bangladesh
Emotional burnout in medical practice
Doctor’s experience in Bangladesh
Dr. Google vs. real medical advice
South Asian cultural barriers in healthcare
Improving doctor-patient communication
Healing healthcare trust
4 reactions •
1 comment
