Hyderabad: Once a common sight, family physicians are no longer seen in the bylanes of cities. In view of this, the Indian Medical Association has demanded that 25,000 additional family medicine seats must be allotted in post-graduate courses.
The IMA is demanding that family medicine doctors need to be empowered as they are the ones who can easily treat different types of fevers, colds and minor ailments.
Dr Yadgiri Rao, a former IMA secretary, said, “We have been pushing for this as patients are coughing up too much money going to specialists even for small illnesses. A family doctor would earlier ensure that all small illnesses were tackled and there were no unnecessary diagnostic expenses..”
Empowering family physicians by absorbing them into the National Health Mission will go a long way in re-establishing confidence and ensuring that patient care at the base level is optimum, the IMA said in its representation to the government.
Dr Marthanda Pillai, former IMA president, said family physicians treat all members of a family members and a trusted relationship formed over the years.
“We have seen a major deterioration in this relationship and this is one of the reasons why there are hardly any family doctors at the primary level in the private sector. A doctor-patient relationship is sacred. While the dignity of the profession has to be maintained, doctors have to work whole-heartedly for patient interest and patient care. We want the government to understand this aspect and bring in the changes which will help to restore confidence in the system.”
With increasing violence against doctors and criminal prosecution for administrative lapses, doctors are worried and scared that they are being charged for issues that are not in their control.
Dr R.V. Asokan, chairman of the IMA action committee, said, “We want the government to inculcate a positive atmosphere and not condone the activities of anti-social elements. The trust deficit which is widening in patient care has to be bridged for the benefit of both the patients and also the medical fraternity.”
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