If you have been missing the days when a family doctor saw you for everything from a cold to a sprained ankle, then you may be in for a pleasant surprise — the Citizens Doctors Forum for Ethical Healthcare, an organisation aimed at bringing in accessible, affordable and assured healthcare, is planning to start neighbourhood clinics in the city.
At the launch of the forum on Saturday, convener L.N. Rajaram said they would first start in Adyar and mobilise residents to form a voluntary group called ‘Friends of Patients,’ which would work towards establishing a neighbourhood network of doctors, labs and diagnostic services that would be a support system for residents.
The idea is to have ethical doctors and services and patients who trust their doctors and can access and afford them easily, as with increasing corporotisation of healthcare services, many people cannot afford medical bills, he said.
Arun Gadre, author of ‘Dissenting Diagnosis’ and president of the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare, said that profit logic was contending with the social and medical logic in healthcare. He spoke of the role played by the global pharma industry, private medical colleges and of corruption, saying, “We are in a soup and we have to accept that.” The Alliance, he said, was setting up markers for ethical doctors such as professional outlook, listening and answering patients’ questions, examining patients and transparency.
Steps for improvement
Arun Malhotra, former head of nuclear medicine at AIIMS, Delhi, spoke about simple steps that government hospitals could take to improve — smart cards for payments, pictorial and better signage, coloured lines leading from counters to various areas, AMCs for high-value equipment, crèche facilities for the staff and others.
He also said communication between ambulance services and hospitals should be brought in and that in medico-legal cases, lifesaving treatment should be given priority over filling forms and paperwork.
The meeting was hosted by the Carnatic Foundation and the Local Community Exchange Empowerment Trust. Several doctors participated, as did Rotary District Governor 3230 N. Nagoji.
