Re: Corruption ruins the doctor-patient relationship in India
As a practising primary care physician in the government set up I am saddened by the state of affairs of our current health system. The corruption in health care is a complex issue and has multiple dimensions to it.
You highlight issues with regard to kickbacks in referring patients and prescribing medicines. That is only a part of the problem. Recently there was a decision by MCI to suspend six doctors for a duration of six months who had accepted hospitality by a pharma company in the form of a paid foreign trip. I was surprised as well pained to see the justification given by some in our profession for such behaviours. All the guidelines seem to be only on paper.
Health equity is not an electoral issue. There seems to be a dichotomous approach. The political elite and policymakers get reimbursed for their treatment in five star hospitals at the cost of taxpayers money. The rest of the public are left to go to understaffed and underfunded public hospitals. Private health care has grown at the cost of neglect of public health care. The present system is a fee for service and encourages Corporate hospitals to do more consultations, investigations and procedures. Added to this there is no national/regional like NICE to assess the cost effectiveness of the care provided.
The professional bodies of different specialties have failed to look beyond their own for enhancing the overall health of the nation. They need to take more responsibility in regulating their members and enhancing the trust of the public in our health system.
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Re: Corruption ruins the doctor-patient relationship in India
As a practising primary care physician in the government set up I am saddened by the state of affairs of our current health system. The corruption in health care is a complex issue and has multiple dimensions to it.
You highlight issues with regard to kickbacks in referring patients and prescribing medicines. That is only a part of the problem. Recently there was a decision by MCI to suspend six doctors for a duration of six months who had accepted hospitality by a pharma company in the form of a paid foreign trip. I was surprised as well pained to see the justification given by some in our profession for such behaviours. All the guidelines seem to be only on paper.
Health equity is not an electoral issue. There seems to be a dichotomous approach. The political elite and policymakers get reimbursed for their treatment in five star hospitals at the cost of taxpayers money. The rest of the public are left to go to understaffed and underfunded public hospitals. Private health care has grown at the cost of neglect of public health care. The present system is a fee for service and encourages Corporate hospitals to do more consultations, investigations and procedures. Added to this there is no national/regional like NICE to assess the cost effectiveness of the care provided.
The professional bodies of different specialties have failed to look beyond their own for enhancing the overall health of the nation. They need to take more responsibility in regulating their members and enhancing the trust of the public in our health system.
Competing interests: No competing interests