ANALYZING AND ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS OF VETERINARIANS AT NATIONAL LEVEL
Dr. Smruti Smita Mohapatra1 and Dr. Radhika Sharma2
1Ph.D. Scholar, Dept. of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, WBUAFS, Kolkata
2Ph.D. Scholar, Dept of Livestock Products Technology, GADVASU, Ludhiana, Punjab
Introduction
Veterinarians are the pillars of the economy of an agrarian country. On a broader scale, their contribution to the farming, food industry, animal husbandry and dairy sector through various roles and responsibilities is immense. With the increase in the demands of the roles of a veterinarian in different sectors such as medicine and treatment, research, food industry, pharmaceuticals, academics, wildlife, their paucity has been thoroughly realized since the past few decades. Economic insecurity, failing to protect animal welfare, variable costs and payments, lack of funding, conflicting interests and working relationships and deterrent clinical practice by quacks are the major challenges faced by veterinarians in India.
Challenges faced by vets at national level
Veterinarians play an essential role in the animal-based food chain. They are professionally responsible for the health of farm animals to secure food safety and public health. In the last decades, fodder scandals and zoonotic disease outbreaks have shown how much animal and human health are entangled. The concept of One Health is broadly promoted within veterinary medicine. The profession embraces this idea that the health of humans, animals and the environment is interlinked and supports the related call for transdisciplinary collaboration. The benefits of the cooperation between veterinarians and medicos are evident in control of zoonotic diseases. Societal expectations with regard to the professional responsibilities of veterinarians are changing. The work of veterinarians is no longer restricted to curative medicine in the interest of individual animals and their owners. A modern veterinarian must have the competence to take collective and global perspectives into account and has responsibilities to care for animal welfare and public health too (Meijboom, 2018). According to Rollin, the most fundamental question of veterinary ethics is whether a veterinarian morally owes primary allegiance towards the owner or the animal (Rollin, 2006). Currently veterinarians in animal food production have to consider the interests of the food companies, retail, consumers and society. Neither veterinary legislation nor professional codes offer veterinarians much support in case of conflicting values or interests. In reality, many veterinarians struggle with such huge responsibilities. In daily practice veterinarians have to deal with situations where human and animal interests are in conflict and no easy solutions are available. Within the profession this has opened the discussion on veterinary responsibilities and how to deal with expectations from society. An intense internal debate has emerged between the vegans and the veterinarians regarding the role of the profession in the transition towards a more sustainable type of animal husbandry and poultry. Though veterinarians do not deny the importance of animal welfare, but they consider themselves to be also responsible for food safety, public health and increasing the economic profit of farmers. The tendency towards a stronger emphasis on the veterinary responsibility for animal welfare is also reflected but neither emotions nor economic factors truimphs animal welfare considerations at the end. With the global climate change, improving animal welfare and UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) should be the primary aim of our profession. The profession’s increased concern for animal welfare seems one of the answers to deal with the complex of societal expectations regarding veterinary responsibilities. However, if this would turn into a one-dimensional focus on either animal welfare or economics, it would do no justice to the broader spectrum of public expectations towards the veterinarians. Veterinarians are expected to promote public health and the health of the environment too. It has been acknowledged as a big responsibility by the profession. It is broadly recognized that with their cross-species pathobiological expertise, veterinarians can make an essential contribution to public health. However, to make all these veterinary responsibilities operational if concerns for health of humans, animals and nature are in conflict, it is not easy. The discovery of new resistance genes and zoonoses have always raised concerns in animal husbandry sector. Strategies for control of zoonoses in our country are complicated, expensive and depend on the competence, possibilities and willingness of affected farmers. Despite the risks for public health, veterinarians still treat zoonotic diseases with antimicrobials while they are not able to change the circumstances responsible for the disease and they also have a strong duty to ensure the health of the animals. Thus veterinarians are constantly struggling to balance different professional responsibilities. Veterinarians working in the context of the food industry have to deal with the economic interests of farmers and other parties in the food chain. The One Health framework requires veterinarians to cooperate with other health professionals to combat zoonotic diseases in order to protect public health. Within a narrow interpretation of the One Health concept this could imply that veterinarians should prevail human interests over animal health and welfare. This makes the existing complexity explicit. Despite urgent calls from state veterinary organizations, progress on a national level is much needed. This transition starts with veterinarians who give animal health and welfare priority over economic interests of farmers and the food production chain when human health is at stake. On an individual level this is a difficult task for veterinarians since our economy is financially dependent on farmers. Moreover, to initiate a change on a system level, individual veterinarians fall short in power and capacities leaving themselves overburdened.
Current status of veterinary education in India and future needs
Research in veterinary science is critical for the health and welfare of animals and human. Food safety, emerging infectious diseases, the development of new therapies, and the possibility of bioterrorism are the issues addressed by veterinary science that have an impact on both human and animal health. However, there is a lack of scientists engaged in veterinary research. Too few veterinarians pursue research careers in India. There is a shortage of facilities and funding for conducting research in state run veterinary colleges and universities. There is disparity in employment opportunities after graduation and stipend/scholarship schemes in undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral studies in veterinary colleges across India despite the increase in the number of students for higher education in veterinary sciences. The current veterinary education of India must prepare students to practice abroad without further investment of time and funds for acceptance in foreign countries. Lack of uniformity in the grades of veterinary group services and salaries in different states is appalling. Good scientific expertise and infrastructure are essential to meet the most critical research needs. There is a dire need to provide adequate resources for investigators, training programmes, and facilities involved in veterinary research. Official veterinary officers accumulate the exercise of private veterinary practice with civil service which is a major conflicting interest. Lack of interests and proper training of veterinary graduates to join the Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) in the Indian Army and paramilitary forces needs utmost attention. In the last few decades, the veterinary community in India has grown tremendously followed by a dramatic change in professional roles. The vast majority of veterinarians in India work as companion animal practitioners in cities and urban areas. The increasing number of veterinary professionals working mostly in the same area of activity have created additional situations of conflict with peers. Effective communication has traditionally been considered a neglected skill in veterinary care and communicating costs (Gray & Moffett, 2010). Being able to openly discuss costs of services, especially when procedures do not work according to plan, requires transparency and accountability. These clash with the paternalistic view of doctors who are the sole authorities. Addressing these challenges and improving the standard of practice requires a combination of approaches, including life-long learning opportunities in both scientific and ethical decision-making.
Conclusion
Veterinary Council of India (VCI) is a statutory body established under the Indian Veterinary Council Act 1984. It receives full grants–in–aid from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India to meet the cost of running the offices of the Council. Central government vide Gazette notification dated 2nd August, 1989, first constituted the Veterinary Council of India by nominating the Members of the Council as per provisions of section 3 of the Act. VCI is charged with the responsibilities of making provision for the regulation of veterinary practice and for that purpose, regulate the standards of veterinary education, preparation and maintenance of an Indian Veterinary Practitioners’ Register (IVPR), Electoral Roll for election of members under section 3(3)(g), recommend for recognition or withdrawal of recognition of veterinary qualifications to the central government and matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto. Apart from VCI, professional veterinary organizations at state levels play an important role here. They can publicly address health issues, call for the necessary structural changes and support individual veterinarians and farmers in making a step from a curative control-based approach to a strategy that focuses on different issues. Veterinarians in public practice or policy related interests or in phenomenal power should collectively take the lead in strengthening the profession’s capabilities in public policy under the aegis of VCI. India is blessed with a talented cadre of leaders who are in the early, mid, and late stages of careers in veterinary practice. Multidisciplinary approach to veterinary profession is important. The future of multidisciplinary collaboration in veterinary profession and expected perspectives agreement on political and legal means for establishing intersectoral coordination, identification of common problems, programme planning and definition of responsibilities, identification of those areas requiring interdisciplinary collaboration, planning of joint programmes, establishment of communication channels in the administrative structure of the concerned institutions, establishment of information systems on items concerning both animal and human health, establishment of mechanisms of operational co-ordination and evaluation of results from the grass root level is necessary. The importance of intersectoral collaboration for prevention and control of zoonoses is necessary. Gaps in governance, promotion of animal welfare, the responsible use of virtual and distance medical services and effective communication are needed. The network of surveillance for animal diseases and animal health information management in India must be strong. Global early warning system for animal diseases, laboratory information management system and reference laboratories must be well equipped. The suggestive measures to mitigate the issues and problems of veterinarians at the national level calls for the experience and active involvement of veterinarians of all age groups including the students. A future road map must be prepared for the issues associated with vet entrepreneurs who suffered a major setback with COVID-19. A revision of current veterinary regulations and ethical guidance in India is warranted for analyzing and addressing the problems of veterinarians at national level in India.
References
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