Table 4. Doctors’ Coping Behaviours That Moved Towards Patients.

Illustrative Instances of Coping	Coping Strategies	Coping - Adaptive Processes	Implications on Care Provision
A few doctors acknowledged writing informal prescriptions to help patients when appropriate drugs were not available at the health centers. These doctors did this only when they felt confident that these patients would not complain about this action (Action 1).	Rule bending	Doctors felt conflicted. They attempted to retain a professional identity within a risk-averse frame of working	Some attempts being made to deliver primary care in line with professional ideals.
One doctor felt that the local private practitioner fleeced poor rural patients of their hard-earned money. So, he tried to make his outpatient clinic more attractive to patients by behaving the way private practitioners did- by smiling at patients, giving instant relief treatments sought by patients and incorporating “drama” into his daily clinic (Action 2).	Retaining professional identities
One doctor refused to provide obstetric care at his primary health center despite top-down pressure to do so. He felt that he would be risking the life of the patient by doing so- and shared that he would rather face the anger of his superiors than put women’s lives at risk. However, he tried to follow-up on many of his referrals (Action 3).	Rule-bending Constructing a professional identity