Dr Umanath Nayak’s Fatal Margin (Hachette India) is a gripping medical thriller on the lines of many a best seller written by Robin Cook, Jeffrey Archer or John Grisham. Human greed and medical ethics are the two dominant themes in this novel and it takes you across an unknown world full of technical jargon as well as unfamiliar medical concepts. The author has described all these in a very lucid and simple manner which can be understood by anybody. This is a fictional work from a practising medical oncologist who traces the downfall of a cancer doctor and takes you through both the ensuing medical and legal battle that the protagonist is subjected to.
Now the protagonist in this novel is Dr Veer Raghavan, a surgical oncologist by profession working in a big corporate hospital in Mumbai. As the story unfolds, one gets the feeling that this doctor who is also a cancer crusader, is maybe playing God and therefore, falls foul of his colleagues, the police and the lawyers. Over a period of time, this ambitious and highly successful cancer surgeon lands up in CBI custody, and is accused of fraud, medical negligence and malpractice.
Now Veer who has gained name, fame and a lot of business for the corporate hospital and at the same time is also trusted by his patients is in for a complete shock when he is treated like a common criminal by the CBI.
A forerunner in the field of oncology, Veer’s reputation and credibility is at stake. He is accused of committing a host of crimes against his patients. Now is this a ploy staged by the corporate establishment unable to come to terms with his popularity and unprecedented rise?
The doctor-author also explores the prevailing nexus between practising doctors in big corporate hospitals and pharmaceutical companies as also the kickbacks, commissions and reckless profiteering that take place year after year.
Prescribing expensive drugs, trying out new-fangled medical treatment without FDA approvals, going on sponsored medical conferences, seminars and even family trips funded by these pharmaceutical companies are some of the issues that the author has focused upon.
The story is set in a modern cancer hospital that grows from strength to strength as Dr Veer too slowly builds his reputation, thereby attracting patients to this hospital.
However, in the process, he becomes egotistical and greedy. He not only conducts medical trials on his patients but also leaves his patients untreated so that they return to the hospital once again to undergo complicated tests and further treatment. But this ploy backfires on this talented and dedicated doctor and he finally ends up behind the bars. This riveting novel takes us deep into the crucial battle between medical science and the complex and unpredictable nature of cancer. Now what is the truth behind the series of allegations against this doctor who once always put the health of his patients before taking any decisions or earning profits for the hospital?
In this unputdownable book, the author takes you through the different twists and turns that lead up to the final courtroom drama and raises vital ethical questions about the immense power doctors hold over patients while they breach the thin line between saving lives and playing god. Purely a work of fiction, this book also addresses many an important issue of medical ethics as well as the practice of modern medicine.