Will the doubters now learn

 

Will  the  doubters  now  learn

The  unfortunate  demise  of  singer KK and  subsequent Post Mortem  established  the  cause  of his death  as  a  Heart  Attack.  His  preceding  hour  or  so  caught  on  camera  made  it  clear  that  he  was  having diaphoresis  and  discomfort.  Knowing  what  we  do instead  of  making  him  walk  in  long  corridors  at  the  venue and taking  him to  hotel if  he  was  shifted  straight  to  a good  hospital with  short  door  to  cath  lab  time  and  a  primary  angioplasty  was  done , there  is  a  good  chance  he  would  have  been  alive  today. Being a doctor  myself  I was shifted  under  similar  circumstances  to Fortis  hospital  17  years  ago  where  I  had  ventricular  fibrillation  followed  by  cardiac  arrest  on  the  cath lab table. Being  in  a  good  hospital with  good  doctors  at  the  right  time  saved  my  life.

Unfortunately  patients of MI(heart Attack) dismiss  preceding  symptoms  very  often as “Gas” “Acidity” and  everything else  under  the  sun. Some of  them  get  away  with  it, KK  did  not. Chest pain, pain in jaw, pain in arm, heaviness  in chest, Ghabrahat, diaphoresis are  all  warning  symptoms  but are  frequently ignored. The  trouble  is  the  myth  which  has  taken root  in  public  mind is  that  doctors  unnecessarily  do  angiography and  place  stents. I  however  feel  that  it  is  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  caution  rather  than  be  foolhardy  and  leave your  family  to  regret. The idea to blame and shame doctors is age old political tool  where  the  successive Governments  refuse  to  do  their duty  of  providing healthcare  which  is  a  fundamental right  of  the  citizens and  instead find scapegoats in healthcare providers.

Medicine has seen tremendous  advances  over  the  last few  decades  but  the  technological innovations  which  have  paved  the  way  to  this  development  are  costly. Our  political  masters  wish to conjure up required  services  from  thin  air  without  having  to  pay  for  the  same. The  healthcare budget  (1.15 %) continues to decline in real  world figures where we languish among  the  bottom 15 of  180  odd  nations. Meanwhile  we deflect the  attention of  the  public by raking  up  controversies  between  modern scientific medicine and  Indian systems of Medicine. Meanwhile  quacks have  a  free  run  in  our  country to advertise their unscientific, untested and  unproven products for  treatment of  diseases which have flummoxed even the best scientific brains in countries like USA, UK, Germany, China, Japan among others.     

Dr  Neeraj Nagpal

Managing Trustee Medicos Legal Action Group

9316517176, hopeclinics@yahoo.com, hopeclinics@gmail.com