Today medical profession is also commercially exploited like any other profession. The relation between patient and doctor is widening day by day. For small disease, some doctors used to prescribe high cost medicine and testing which is quite unnecessary. The other problem is doctor prescribe the ‘high cost and unnecessary medicine” of a selected company only. The consumer/ patients have no option but to buy the same medicine from the market. In the market there are hundreds of low cost medicine available of the same ‘generic’, but the consumer is choiceless and helpless. Multinational and big Pharma corporation take advantage and get influenced the doctors through various means. Sometimes new drugs get experimented on patients. Doctor take advantage from the patient because patient consider him as a saviour of his life, so in general case, what doctor say they will do. There are also cases like the hospital put the dead body in a ventilator for 2 days without allowing the relative to meet him. They have also charged for high cost medicine and other things as usual just to grab the money. There are many such things happenings in and around us, as per the media reports.

Health sector under government is almost collapsed. Private sector taking huge advantage by overcharging and engaging different malpractices like prescribing unwanted test, unwanted high cost medicine, admitting hospital in small ailments and making permanent patient, wrong diagnosis, the list is going on.

The relationship between doctor and patient becomes a trader and consumer. Earlier patient used to look doctor as a saviour and today, in the age of ‘specialisation’ on anything and everything for every body’s parts ailment, we ‘compel’ to show a specialist. The commercialization of doctor professional reached its dangerous level. Today patient fear to go to doctor and there are incidents like patient making ‘suicide’ in the hospital by jumping from terrace etc. This is the best example, how a patient compelled to take such a drastic step due to the nuisance and annoyance made by the hospital and doctor. Why patients and their relative engaging physical abuse to doctor especially the Govt. and trust run hospital?

Govt. made a legislation protecting doctor against any abuses from patient’s side. Who will protect patient’s from the physical and mental abuses, economic and other losses? Why there is no law now for the benefit of patients? Is there any transparency and accountability in the function of hospital administration and doctor?

Some solutions need to find out various malpractices in medical profession. Apart from this the medicine getting costlier day by day. There is no price fixation mechanism available. Some essential drugs get inflated to more than 1000 times than the production cost in the name of patent and R&D. The govt. or the consumer have no control over the Pharma companies.

Ø Govt. of India and other state govt. need an elaborate policy on fixing of prices of essential drugs and more and more drugs should bring to essential drugs list.
Ø The cost of patent/R&D should not be more than the cost of raw material and total cost of production. It should be restricted to 10% of the cost of production. So the patent Act should be suitably amended in the interest of Indian consumer. Now there is an argument that new drugs cannot be produced in India. It is quite wrong. There is no transparency, accountability and responsibility on the part of Pharma companies on quality control and pricing. At present the govt. have limited power.
Ø There are hundreds of medicine available in the market. It is unsure the same medicine is good or bad which can prescribe for a particular disease and its side effect.
Ø There should be guideline for the doctors to prescribe medicine of the same generic with different brand which is locally made available and cheaper in cost. Atleast 3 options should be provided while giving prescription. The consumer should have the option to buy the same generic medicine as per his choice.
Ø Elimination of spurious drugs from the market.
Ø Standardisation of doctors fee and various testing charges on sophisticated equipments and other testing materials in the private clinics/ govt. hospital which should be written in front of the room.

Such suggestions need to be implemented in the interest of consumers and keep better relation between doctor and patient in the days to come.

aam admi