Patient: "Doctor, I have a cold last three days"
Doctor: “Are you wet in the rain? No? Is your brother cold? NO? Oh, is it your sister who first caught a cold? Yes OK. Don't worry, it's two days. after that.
The composer pulls out a thin strip of paper, folds it three times, cuts all four corners with scissors, and then inserts the laid out strip on the bottle. This is a dose indicator. You give something less than a rupee per bottle of eight doses of colored liquid. You are happy to return home, take your medicine in good faith, and sometimes do not go to a doctor because you feel much better.
A few days later your older brother turns to the doctor for a sore throat. The doctor remembers every illness of your brother, every injury and generally knows about his health. He knows that in the case of your brother, an ordinary sore throat can easily put him into pneumonia and take him seriously, unlike his cold.
Senior citizens easily recall scenes like the ones above, from childhood.
Such family doctors are simply absent. Currently we only have specialists for each disease. Specialists charge a fee for advice and often do not know anything except their specialization. The specialist refuses to look at you as a whole, leaving your family alone as an integrated unit. He will always treat other professionals and relatives to a large extent according to the results of tests for diagnosis. As a layman, you may be embarrassed if you should go to a nephrologist or urologist when you have trouble urinating. Because they are likely to be better equipped if you suffer more?
Should we not return the family doctors? You may wonder why. Well, they knew the whole family and their ailments. They might treat you holistically. They knew by heart the drugs to which you are allergic. Some even remember your blood type. Most of them tried simple things first. Most of the diagnosis was made based on physical examination, observation and survey. Diagnostic tests were minimal. The patients had complete confidence. They did not charge you expensive advice. They helped you to consult a specialist in case of complications. They were patient and clarified your doubts. The family doctor was ready to visit at home if you, the father, could not get to the clinic.
If we somehow bring back the culture of family doctors, they can be very useful in another area. Health insurance for the elderly becomes a nightmare. Premiums are heavy. Available policies are available. A “prior disease” simply makes health insurance policies useless. Insurance claims become a racket with the collusion of patients and corporate hospitals. Thus, in this vicious circle, poor elderly people spend sleepless nights without insurance.
Family doctors can act as a bridge. It can provide preventive and primary care at home. It can help older people maintain good health through counseling and regular monitoring. He can keep in touch with insurance companies and hospitals when hospitalization and surgical procedures are necessary. It can minimize diagnostic tests and not yield to the pressure tactics of greedy corporate hospitals, which are squeezing every last pie on the part of the insurance company. Getting a second opinion can be easy. There are many other things that FP can do effectively today.
The Indian Development Insurance Agency (IRDA) established a committee in 2007 under the chairmanship of KS Sastri. The mandate was to study and recommend measures to be taken by the government to improve the health insurance system for the elderly. One of the most important recommendations is related to the return of the Family Doctors system. Can NGOs take part in GOI to seriously consider this issue?
