I do not agree with Professor B.M. Hegde's view that when one is healthy, one should never go for a medical check-up (Open Page, Nov. 7). There are many diseases that can kill a person silently. Diabetes, hypertension, and congenital heart problems are some of them. They are often detected during routine check-ups or incidentally. Hypertension is diagnosed only late or when a patient approaches a doctor for some other problem. An annual medical check-up will help in not only saving lives but also avoiding huge hospital expenses when the disease gets complicated.
R. Pradeep Chakaravarthi,
Omalur
I am not a doctor but a patient aged 80 years. I followed the dictum “when one is healthy, one should never ever go for a check-up.” A persistent friend literally forced me to go for a health check-up. Tests showed that I had colon cancer — it had been there for nearly two years. After surgery followed by lengthy treatment, I ended up with a colostomy bag with all the attendant discomforts. I have also become poorer. An early detection might have saved me from the complicated surgery.
T.K. Nagarajan,
Bangalore
I appreciate Dr. Hegde for his opinions on medicine. Thanks to the anxiety of patients, doctors these days come under pressure and advise them to undergo different types of tests. I think there is a need to educate people on lifestyle changes. Doctors should dissuade patients from taking pills for ailments which have a definite causative factor. The body's immune system should be given time to heal. Doctors should encourage people to measure their health in not just physical but also mental and spiritual terms. Treatment should be qualitative, not quantitative.
Dr. Shivani Lakhtakia,
Hyderabad
