There is a tendency among people, all over the world, to defer to doctors and other healthcare practitioners. Like other professionals with specialised knowledge and training, doctors/healthcare practitioners are generally accorded a great deal of respect by laypersons. This is understandable as these individuals do spend a great deal of their time studying and learning about the human body, disease processes, and treatment options. When we are sick and suffering, these are the people we turn to for help. We put ourselves in their hands, hoping and trusting that they will make the pain go away and make us feel better. This is an incredible thing indeed, for when we are sick we are at our most vulnerable, and there are few other instances when individuals entrust their well-being so completely to other persons. It is awesome and humbling. Sadly however, too often, this trust is abused.
Many persons seeking care for Chikungunya, for example, received a series of injections. However, many of these same people, when asked, did not know what was in the injection. This is not just a phenomenon limited to Chikungunya, in many other instances, treatment/medication is blindly received, with limited understanding by the patient of exactly what is being done. Often, people just go to the doctor and allow them to do whatever they think necessary, without questioning them.
Sometimes, when people do ask questions, they are shouted at or belittled. Some doctors and healthcare workers view any questioning as hostile or as a sign of the patient lacking confidence in their
