Professor Michael Calnan has recently co-authored a new paper, Understanding Disruption in the Social Contract between the Medical Profession and Society in India. Drawing on in-depth interviews with purposively selected doctors, journalists, legal experts, police, patients and patients’ rights activists, and social commentators, the study examines a growing challenge seen not only in India but across many parts of the world: rising public dissatisfaction with the medical profession. The frustration, at times, spilling over into violence.
The research uncovers a series of mismatched expectations—about how the medical profession is organised, how healthcare is structured and delivered, the social status and identity of doctors, and what fair compensation for care should look like. These misalignments, the authors argue, are increasingly disrupting the vital social relationship between doctors and the societies they serve.
By analysing these tensions through the lens of the ‘social contract’ in medicine, the paper shows why rebuilding trust is not merely desirable but urgent. A renewed social contract, grounded in trust, transparency and shared responsibility, is essential for creating a healthier and more resilient healthcare system.
This is an insightful and timely read for policymakers, medical leaders, health researchers, and anyone concerned about the future of doctor–patient relations in India and beyond.
👉 Read the article:
Understanding disruption in the social contract between the medical profession and society in India: a tale of mismatched expectations? (Health Policy and Planning, 2025)
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/advance-article/doi/10.1093/heapol/czaf077/8296958