What do we Expect from Professionals?

Dr. G. R. S. Rao

Acquisition of skills through education and training of any trade or profession are essential but not adequate to make a professional. A group of people can be considered as a profession when (a) their education and training are employed in the service of society, (b) members work, in addition to monetary consideration, in public interest, (c) the group has uniform body of knowledge, which is constantly sustained and promoted through research and continuing education, and (d) has a self-regulated binding code of ethics, tempered by humane values.

John O Miller observes that a professional is one “who has enduring sense of commitment to his calling, to his clients or employers and to the society or organisation of professionals which binds him and his fellows together in response to the common interests of those in that calling”.

Professionalism is an intensely personal characteristic–neither education and training, nor entry into a profession, per se, can guarantee the quality of professional judgment and ethical behaviour.

Professionalisation

Professional groups obtaining today have disengaged themselves from the church and from the theological world-view to grow into secular, differentiated social institutions. But, perhaps specialised techniques and skills tended to dominate the professional, with the result that, as Argyris, C and Schonn, D A observe, “The professional came to be seen, by himself and others primarily as a technician who applied his professional knowledge”. With training in techniques acquiring primacy as the basis of his professional status, professions and professionals have not been able to adequately and holistically, relate themselves to their role in society and its problems and process of change and development: Schein believes that “from the perspective of the student, many professionals as individuals and many professional associations have not sufficiently re­examined their role in society. They are not delivering a high quality service to the right client, and are not responsive to the desire of young professionals to work on relevant social problems. In many professions, the early years of practice are perceived as stultifying, unchallenging, and more like an initiation than an educationally useful apprenticeship”. This appeared to be very true of the ‘professions’ of medicine, law, education, journalism and administration in India.

Self Regulation

Today, professionals and professions in India are so influenced by the pressures and priorities that the society is tending to generate its own counter ­pressures so as to force the State to regulate the professionals in regard to their role in society, and the norms for such role. The initiative for self-regulation seems to be slipping. As Robert H. Anderson observes: “When a profession waits until it is forced to do something, it loses an opportunity to make a valuable contribution.” Demands for ban on private medical practice, private tutorials (teaching shops), tight controls on infructuous litigation prompted by advocates illustrate the gaps between ‘professions’ and ‘practices’.

Managers who are ‘aware’, and ‘professionals’ are not acting in the interest of the community, till their actions and inactions are ‘discovered’ by the public. This is the case whether it is the case of spurious drugs getting into market, prescription of specific branded drugs, undertaking an excessively large number of vasectomy operations with an eye on motivation of money at the cost of post-operative care in the medical profession.

The Hospitals and other Institutions Bill 1982 introduced in the Parliament seeking to regulate non-governmental hospitals, educational and similar institutions constitutes an example of State seeking to regulate professions where inadequate self-regulation generated popular pressures from the community for state regulation of professions.

In the ground of erosion of ethical base and inadequate self-regulation among professions, the image of professions as also the capacity of professional bodies of lawyers, teachers, doctors, journalists, etc., are fast declining with adverse consequences to the professionals, the professions and to the society.

It is a long way to go in the journey towards restoration and promotion of the image and the contribution of professions. The failure of professions in India, and the recognition of this need for prompting professional ethics is indicated by the emergence of an apex organisation called “Professions for the People” aimed at (a) pursuing excellence, (b) higher standards of ethics, (c) better access to services, and (d) humanizing the professions.

The main objectives of ‘professions for the people’ are (a) to foster, promote and maintain high professional and ethical standards in the conduct of one’s profession; (b) to promote self-discipline among the members of the professions and inculcate a sense of social justice in the practice of their professions; (c) to strive for conditions conducive to achieving excellence and ensuring service to the people; (d) to promote active cooperation among the professions and among the members of different professions; (e) to initiate and support reforms in the functioning of professions consistent with the objectives of the pursuit of excellence, human dignity and a just social order; (f) to undertake and promote research in the development and functioning of the professions to serve the common people; (g) to promote and organise public opinion on matters of general interest to the people and to the professions.

These objectives reflect present inadequacies and gaps between valuable professions and distorted practices. A happy beginning of a long journey. If professions tend to get deprofessionalised, the loss in the first place is that of professions. The slide in the public image of professionals during the last several years is rapid and significant. Increasing state regulation is a consequence, but it cannot remedy the situation, it is a remedy that is worse than the disease.
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‘I was a university lecturer myself. We are taught objectivity, rationality and honest pursuit of truth in the university. One has to leave all this behind when you enter politics.”

–Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister’s speech on the occasion of the Award of    D. Litt. by Delhi university.