Though State Government has brought in various schemes through which people can avail healthcare, still majority people can’t afford it. There are several reasons. With 80 per cent healthcare system is being looked after by private set-up the cost of medical treatment has gone beyond the reach of poor and lower middle class people. To add to the problems, corporate hospitals are taking over. There are Government hospitals to get the treatment where they charge marginally. People can surely afford the treatment in Government hospitals in terms of money. Unfortunately Government hospitals are no more functioning the way they were in the past. To begin with, the Government should check if generic drugs replace the branded ones, whether the number of investigations are reduced. There are some more aspects working on which may result in the reduction of overall cost of medical treatment. ‘The Hitavada’ talked to some doctors, people from Non-Government Organisations (NGO) to know what exactly should be done to reduce the cost? “Drugs is one major factor that increases the treatment cost.

 

There are generic medicines but no doctor can confidently ask patients to go for those which are much cheaper than the branded ones. I think if Government could come up with an assurance about generic medicine it will do the wonder,” said former Joint Director of State Medical Education Dr Prakash Wakode. “We used to do tracheostomy without gloves. One syringe we used by boiling. Not using glove, proper utilisation of syringes helped in reducing the medical treatment cost. But now no one can dare of applying that system as the scientific development has come, new molecules have come. There is a risk of infection if the old system used. About generic drugs, fool proof study is not possible but gross idea we can have.

 

Those who can’t afford should go for generic. In investigation we are helpless. Molecules are same. Randomise control should be brought,” added Dr Wakode. Agreeing to what Dr Wakode said Dr Vedprakash Mishra, well-known Medical Educationist, said, “I feel if we do extensive research in Ayurveda and prepare the drugs we can do the wonderful work. Everything is given in the Samhita and we don’t have to go anywhere. This will surely change the scenario of medical treatment.” But Rajio Jagtap, an office-bearer of Janmanch has different opinion. According to Jagtap, generic medicines is the option. Brand should not be written. As far as components in the drugs are concerned, the arguments of doctors that some components are absent in generic is wrong. “Plane paracetomol is there in generic. When new molecule found out, the company does research on it. The patenting cost is for 15 years. It gets opened but the rates are not changed.

 

Through generic its cost gets reduced. Medicine cost if reduced it will help in reduction of treatment cost. London’s NHS system must be studied where FDA license is compulsory to everyone. There they get license on the basis of contents and not for patent. If the issue is there of quality then FDA is not doing its work. Action should be taken against FDA. MRP, cost of production be mentioned on the packets or bottles of medicines. It will let people understand the actual cost,” explained Jagtap. Dr Vedprakash Mishra, feels investigation is another sector that drains the pockets of patients. “Some investigations are really not necessary but those are done due to the fear of Consumer Protection Act. Now clinical diagnosis has become passe.

 

When a patient approaches a hospital he or she has to undergo several investigations. If a doctor does not do the investigation and patient suffers from major problem or dies, doctor will not have any proof to prove his innocence. In that case consumer court is likely to ask doctor to pay the huge compensation to the patient or the relatives. Because of fear of getting punished a lot of investigations are done. Patients lose lot of revenue due to these investigations,” explained Dr Mishra. Dr Nandu Kolwadkar, ex-President of national unit of Association of Otolaryngologists of India (AOI),supported the point about consumer court raised by Dr Mishra. “Several doctors have suffered without their faults. Earlier doctors used to do clinical diagnosis only. Now even patients have started suggesting us the investigations,” pointed out Dr Kolwadkar.”

 

“What Dr Mishra or Dr Kolwadkar said is true. Investigations increase the cost. People have to visit diagnostic centres, pathology laboratories number of times. In private set-up doctors too admit some investigations are unnecessary. Investigations rates should be regulated. There should be a machinery that would decide the cost,” suggested Jagtap. Rajio Jagtap expressed his disagreement about CPA. “How many cases are there in consumer court? How many cases we witnessed where doctors or hospitals faced severe punishment? The number is very negligible. CPA is just an escape route for hospitals to carry more and more investigations,” said Jagtap.