It is enough you pay 50-75 lakhs to get
a MBBS seat and pass mark. How?
How could a doctor couple who aborted
so many lives cruelly in north India, are out of jail now?
Why does IMA (Indian Medical
Association) oppose any change that is brought in the Health sector?
The Ethics Committee of the MCI (Medical
Council India) has not removed a single practitioner from its register during
the past four years, while during the corresponding period more than 200
practitioners were permanently barred from practising in the United Kingdom by
the General Medical Council (GMC). “Is it because our doctors are so much
better than their British counterparts?” actor Aamir Khan asked MCI chairman
Dr. K.K. Talwar in his television show.
India is a nation where anyone can do
anything, anywhere. If at all
questioned, s/he knows the ways to
tackle. Even if s/he is punished, we can
be sure within a month s/he is out. It
is a matter of currency notes. There is no success story in regulation of any
kind of department in India. One department
that plays an important role in everybody’s life is health care. It cannot be a
choice like education or communication. It is thrust upon. We do not know what
will happen when. Unless the treatment is right, it can take away life in no
hour. It deals with life, directly. The twelfth five-year plan concentrated on
education. We know the standard of education even after spending so many
crores. The prime minister announced that the thirteenth five-year plan would concentrate
on the health care. Health care is a long pending issue, which could not come
up in any way, seriously in need of a transformation.
It is alarming to hear the procedure of
the admission for MBBS. There are 30,000 UG seats. 70% of the placement is with
private sector. 35-40 lakhs is the rate
for a seat and for the 15,000 PG seats, 65 lakhs to 2 crore rupees depending on
the subject you take. If so, think of the black money every year in health care
department in this sector alone. There is no place for merit here. If you are
able to pay, you are a doctor. How can we expect our poor children to dream of
becoming a doctor? Unlike other profession, it deals with life. How can we be
sure what the doctor prescribes is the right treatment? We move ahead hoping
for a miracle. A doctor who has spent so many lakhs of rupees is unwilling to
work in the rural areas. Even if the government brings in many ideas for the
rural upliftment in the health sector, it is unable to proceed because of this.
There is so much of corruption top to
down. Dr. Ketan Desai was charged with many accusations but continued to be the
chairman of MCI for seven more years, even after completing his term until CBI
arrested for a bribe recently. Entry of drugs has no check boards here. International
health societies and high level expert group in india force our government to
formulate regulations for a better health care. IMA (Indian Medical
Association) opposes any kind of regulation and allows the system, resulting in
unethical practices and commercialisation of the sector. Hundreds of
non-essential and unsafe drugs have flooded the market because of an
ineffective and corrupt regulatory system on the one hand and the doctor-pharma
business on the other. Hundreds of banned drugs are sold in India because of
populated patients, low-cost advantage, efficient conduction of trials,
improving infrastructure and strong state support for outsourcing and privatization.
Our medical education itself highly commercialized.
There is corruption in setting up new medical colleges, corruption in
permitting the drugs for the public use. Letters of recommendation are written
by the drug manufacturers themselves. Recently, a letter from the Assistant
Drugs Controller (India) was sent to a company seeking expert opinion, dated
August 9, 2010. We see that the letter not only reached Mumbai on the next two
days, but replied very same day after reviewing 131 pages of scientific papers.
All the four replies from different institute heads, were not only identical,
but posted to wrong address without mailing address. Indeed, the drug got
approved on September 1, 2010 without Phase III clinical trials. This is the
fatal condition of department.
Patient safety is totally neglected
in our hospitals and it is worst in the general hospitals. Even if the court
has prioritized the treatment in emergency cases, most of the doctors run their
business on emergency treatment. Poor, and rural people are put in debt, many a
times losing their livelihood. Unnecessary drugs are prescribed, and
unnecessary surgical tests are done just to gain profit. These doctors will not
work in rural areas. A degree course, Bachelor in Rural Health Care for three and half years was proposed in 2007 which
is in practice in Assam and Chhattisgarh and others strongly oppose hearing the
word rural. How can we imagine a developed India?
Bhore committee of 1948 drafted the
present regulation of the medical sector, and it is still in use without being
updated. there is no comprehensive assessment of the health needs of people.
The thinking behind this is, one shoe fits all. Medical awareness reached its
peak before 200 years in England and for that matter most of the European
countries. We, even after 65 years of independence, unable to think that we are
in a poor condition. deaths in the hospitals become very common. I am sure
nobody will remember now that so many infants died in a series in Kolkata
general hospitals, and there was also a massive fire accident killing so many
patients. It doesn’t strike us. We are more worried about ourselves, that we do
not have time to think on these things.
WHERE IS THE FAULT?
Critique:
Right to life is a basic thing that
every human being is endowed with. He is created in the image and likeness of
God. Therefore, healthy life is a necessity. Our government has the duty of
taking care of this and it is our right to claim a better health care. It is
equally important to keep our ourselves and the environment cleaner and
greener. This must get into our system and our children must be taught from the
scratch on cleanliness.
It is difficult for us as (unless by
a movement takes a lead) to stage a protest against the IMA and MCI, which
oppose any change in the medical system. However, if we do not rise against
this now, then we are the losers. While they are able to protest to safeguard
their freedom and business, can’t we fight for our basic rights?
Our children must be taught basic
medical care at least in our schools through experts. First Aid should be a
compulsory. Basic knowledge of medicine is very essential that could prevent us
buying the outdated and the unnecessary.
We see most of the poor avoid going
to the hospitals for a sickness and go to the medical shop and ask for a
tablet. It could be dangerous later. Let us (educators) teach them basic health
care.
India is a nation of herbs. Our
ancestors could live long just taking herbs as their medicine and their food
habits were indeed had a medicinal value. Today we have changed a lot in our
food habits resulting in many diseases. We do not know what to do for a
sickness unlike our grandparents. Let us get back to our treasures.
Life is something worthwhile living,
and living to the full.
S. Jeyan Joseph
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