HOW UKRAINIAN DOCTORS ARE BECOMING SALESMEN, AND PATIENTS ARE BECOMING TOXIC CUSTOMERS
There is a worrying trend in the dental sector of Ukraine: medical professionals are losing their status, dignity, and professional independence. The reason for this is not only social changes or economic crises, but also dentists themselves, who over the past 10–15 years have laid the foundations for a destructive model of relationships with patients – the “service” model, where the doctor ceases to be a specialist, and the patient ceases to be a person seeking help.
How dentists themselves are destroying trust in the profession
It all started with an attempt to compete not on quality, but on price. Instead of professional positioning, there were promotions, discounts, “free consultations,” intrusive advertising, and participation in pseudo-raffles. This not only devalued medical work, but also gave rise to a “supermarket psychology” in patients: coming with demands, bargaining, comparing prices as on the market, pretending to be experts, and blackmailing with negative reviews on Google or social networks.
As a result, we have a toxic environment where:
-the doctor is afraid of losing the patient and is ready to humiliate himself,
-the patient feels like a king, despising the specialist,
-the industry is losing prestige and the culture of medical ethics.
Research and facts: degradation of the profession
According to a study by Dental Economics (2022), over 63% of dentists worldwide admit to “experiencing emotional burnout due to commercial pressures and toxic clients.”
Why dentists are leaving the profession – Dental Economics
In 2023, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine published a study indicating a direct correlation between an excessive focus on profit and a decline in clinical standards in private dentistry.
What is the cost of profit-driven dentistry – Harvard Medical School
According to a survey by the Ukrainian Association of Private Dentistry (UAPS, 2024), 72% of doctors in private clinics believe that patients have “ceased to respect the doctor as an expert.”
How to get out of the crisis: practical solutions
Professional self-identification: we are doctors, not a service
Dentistry is not a trade.
A doctor should act as an expert, not as a subordinate. It is worth abandoning cheap marketing tricks that devalue the profession.
Formation of a code of ethics and minimum prices
It is necessary to introduce professional standards – ethical, pricing, communication. Something that has long been working in pharmacy and law: a clear limit on the minimum cost of services, which makes dumping impossible.
Grouping into professional communities and unions
An appeal to dentists of Ukraine: let’s unite!
Today, more than ever, it is important to create independent professional associations of dentists that:
-form the general rules of the game,
-create a register of loyal and toxic patients,
-conduct educational work among the population about the value and complexity of dentistry,
-legally protect specialists from defamation on social networks.
Such platforms already operate in the USA and the EU:
Dental Ethics – USA, Association for Medical Ethics in Dentistry
British Dental Association – Code of Ethics and Patient Relations
Legal protection and response to manipulation
Dentists should use legal tools:
-respond to defamatory reviews legally (complaints, appeals to Google),
-to conclude clear contracts for the provision of medical services,
-record communication with the patient (correspondence, records of consultations).
Conclusion
We ourselves have brought the profession to a crisis – it is time to get out of it. We cannot agree to be convenient servants of capricious clients. A dentist is a specialist, not a salesman. Respect begins with ourselves.
Doctor, if you feel devalued, don’t stay silent. Join the professional movement of new dentistry. Enough of bending over. It’s time to rise up.
Information obtained from the information space of the Internet.
Sincerely,
Head of NGO “UDU”
Candidate of Medical Sciences Yuriy Bun
