Dr. B. M. Hegde has written two books and it is a must for every one to read.
'What doctors do not study in Medical colleges'
Now he is bold to reveal all these.
Thanks for the forward.
Let us keep this circulating to reach as many as possible.
(This is from Dr. B M Hegde.
Wonder how much is widespread and how many are merely a few black sheep)
How Indian Doctors Loot Patients.
Most
of these observations are either completely or partially true.
Corruption has many names, and one of civil society isn't innocent
either. Professionals and businessmen of various sorts indulge in
unscrupulous practices. I recently had a chat with some doctors,
surgeons and owners of nursing homes about the tricks of their trade.
Here is what they said
1) 40-60% kickbacks for lab tests.
When
a doctor (whether family doctor / general physician, consultant or
surgeon) prescribes tests - pathology, radiology, X-rays, MRIs etc. -
the laboratory conducting those tests gives commissions. In South and Central Mumbai -- 40%. In the suburbs north of Bandra -- a whopping 60 per cent! He probably earns a lot more in this way than
the consulting fees that you pay.
2) 30-40% for referring to consultants, specialists & surgeons. When your friendly GP refers you to a specialist or surgeon, he gets 30-40%.
3) 30-40% of total hospital charges.
If the GP or consultant recommends hospitalization, he will receive
kickback from the private nursing home as a percentage of all charges
including ICU, bed, nursing care, surgery.
4) Sink tests. Some
tests prescribed by doctors are not needed. They are there to inflate
bills and commissions. The pathology lab understands what is
unnecessary. These are called "sink tests"; blood, urine, stool samples
collected will be thrown.
5) Admitting the patient to "keep him under observation". People
go to cardiologists feeling unwell and anxious. Most of them aren't
really having a heart attack, and cardiologists and family doctors are
well aware of this. They admit such safe patients, put them on a saline
drip with mild sedation, and send them home after 3-4 days after
charging them a fat amount for ICU, bed charges, visiting doctors fees.
6) ICU minus intensive care.
Nursing homes all over the suburbs are run by doctor couples or as
one-man-shows. In such places, nurses and ward boys are 10th cl-ass
drop-outs in ill-fitting uniforms and bare feet. These "nurses" sit at
the reception counter, give injections and saline drips, perform ECGs,
apply dressings and change bandages, and assist in the operation
theatre. At night, they even sit outside the Intensive Care Units; there
is no resident doctor. In case of a crisis, the doctor -- who usually
lives in the same building -- will turn up after 20 minutes, after this
nurse calls him. Such ICUs admit safe patients to fill up beds. Genuine
patients who require emergency care are sent elsewhere to hospitals
having a Resident Medical Officer (RMO) round-the-clock.
7) Unnecessary caesarean surgeries and hysterectomies. Many
surgical procedures are done to keep the cash register ringing.
Caesarean deliveries and hysterectomy (removal of uterus) are high on
the list. While the woman with labour -pains is screaming and panicking,
the obstetrician who gently suggests that caesarean is best seems like
an angel sent by God! Menopausal women experience bodily changes that
make them nervous and gullible. They can be frightened by words like "
and "fibroids" that are in almost every normal woman's radiology
reports. When a gynaecologist gently suggests womb removal "as a
precaution", most women and their husbands agree without a
second's thought.
8) Cosmetic surgery advertised through newspapers.
Liposuction and plastic surgery are not minor procedures. Some are
life-threateningly major. But advertisements make them appear as easy as
facials and waxing. The Indian medical council
has strict rules against such misrepresentation. But nobody is interested in taking action.
9) Indirect kickbacks from doctors to prestigious hospitals.
To be on the panel of a prestigious hospital, there is give-and-take
involved. The hospital expects the doctor to refer many patients for
hospital admission. If he fails to send a certain number of patients, he
is quietly dumped. And so he likes to admit patients even when there is
no need.
10) Emergency surgery" on dead body. If
a surgeon hurriedly wheels your patient from the Intensive Care Unit to
the operation theatre, refuses to let you go inside and see him, and
wants your signature on the consent form for "an emergency operation to
save his life", it is likely that your patient is already dead. The
"emergency operation" is for inflating the bill; if you agree for it,
the surgeon will come out 15 minutes later and report that your patient
died on the operation table. And then, when you take delivery of the
dead body, you will pay OT charges, anaesthesiologist's charges,
blah-blah-
Doctors are humans too. You can't trust them blindly. Please understand the difference.
Young surgeons and old ones.
The young ones who are setting up nursing home etc. have heavy loans to
settle. To pay back the loan, they have to perform as many operations
as possible. Also, to build a reputation, they have to perform a large
number of operations and develop their skills. So, at first, every case
seems fit for cutting. But with age, experience and prosperity, many
surgeons lose their taste for cutting, and stop recommending
operations.
Physicians and surgeons.
To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Surgeons like
to solve medical problems by cutting, just as physicians first seek
solutions with drugs. So, if you take your medical problem to a surgeon
first, the chances are that you will unnecessarily end up on the
operation table. Instead, please go to an ordinary GP first
Prof. B. M. Hegde, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRCPG, FRCPI, FACC, FAMS.
Padma Bhushan Awardee 2010.
Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes,
Chairman, State Health Society's Expert Committee, Govt. of Bihar, Patna.
Former Prof. Cardiology, The Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London,
Affiliate Prof. of Human Health, Northern Colorado University,
Retd. Vice Chancellor, Manipal University,
"Manjunath" Pais Hills, Bejai.
MANGALORE-575004. India.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.