The overcrowded coaching centres aptly depict every Kashmiri parent’s desire to have their children become doctors. This desire, though, is not entirely ambition, but is the passing down of lost parental aspirations combined with the colonial associations of medicine with social prestige and modernity. The inherited pressure fosters extrinsic motivation amongst school goers in the pursuit of medicine, driving them away from an internal impetus to heal and to serve humanity. This shift can potentially become a leading cause of the moral and ethical decline of the medical professional.
The fixation with medicine is not a recent emergence but a product of the colonial era. British colonial rule endorsed certain professions that benefitted the empire, as indicators of modernity and intelligence. Careers like medicine, law, and engineering were often considered means of distinguishing oneself from the general population, often regarded as intellectually inferior and undeserving of respect. This notion survived even after independence. Postcolonial society began associating these fields with dignity and status, shaping family expectations for generations to come.
A large number of Kashmiris from the older generation wished to become medical professionals to gain economic stability and respect in the community. Many were unable to achieve their ambitions due to academic disruptions and sought to fulfil them through their children. A rapid increase in NEET applicants in J&K reflects this trend: from approximately 36,000 in 2023 to around 50,000 in 2025. Moreover, studies indicate that around 60 percent of secondary school students experience academic stress or anxiety, much of which arises from parental expectations, particularly about medicine and engineering. As a result, these expectations, along with a socially materialistic portrayal of medicine, have made students pursue it as merely a profitable career or family legacy rather than a calling rooted in compassion.
Parental expectations, however, are only part of the problem; social attitudes amplify these pressures and portray a narrow definition of success. Those who pursue fields other than medicine are often ridiculed and met with scorn. This biased approach forces many aspirants. This preconception results in a loss of interest in other streams available. It has been recorded that in coaching centres, and more often, self-worth is marked by a traditional methodology of obtaining scores rather than exploring the curiosity of an aspirant. This stymies creativity and intrinsic motivation, which are vital for developing empathy and problem-solving, both essential in good doctors. These students, under the fear of disappointing their families, treat medicine as an obligation.
There are a number of studies held in India that reveal more than 60 percent of medical school aspirants regret choosing medicine. The study further elaborates that this regret is associated with social or parental pressure that, in reciprocity, crushes a pulsating hope of an aspirant. Consequently, they measure success through external approval rather than personal satisfaction, a mindset that strongly suggests that they value wealth and status over compassion and innovation. If extrinsic motivation persists into adulthood, it can weaken the moral compass of potential doctors. Such professionals are more susceptible to emotional detachment and often show negligence towards patients. Money-oriented physicians also tend to cause resource wastage, over-treatment, and exploitation by prescribing unnecessary tests or procedures. This is largely a result of their desire to compensate for the enormous ‘investment’ made by their parents to facilitate their education. In addition to this, they may refrain from treating low-income patients and operate only in expensive private clinics, deepening inequity in healthcare. Such practitioners often indulge in unethical practices and can pass on their moral desensitisation to trainees and team members, risking the erosion of public trust in medicine.
Breaking this chain requires introspection from parents, schools, and society. Before pushing their children towards specific streams, parents ought to ask themselves whether they are doing so because they think this is right for their children or because they wish to be admired in their social circles for raising children who cracked competitive exams and became doctors. Even if this insistence stems from genuine worry, they must consider the detriment that forced academic choices can bring to their children and to society. The social stigma against non-mainstream fields must be rectified at the school level. Teachers must appreciate uniqueness and creativity rather than monotony and cease the cycle of inherited career aspirations. It is necessary to respect the choices of students so that a medical society of earnest professionals can be built, who work to serve and not to impress.
By: Shah Mohammad Abaan
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