Sweeping statements and over generalizations usually come with their own disclaimers and pitfalls but to whatever extent one can stretch and extrapolate personal experience to a generic observation let me state this: On the topic of medical facilities, competence of doctors, and quality of health care - I am now convinced that India (specifically Madras) is about N times better than America.
14 comments:
please be more specific
Is N > 1 or N < 1?
But from the way you have written it, it appears that N > 1...but still better to get it clarified. I would put it as simply a case of familiarity. For instance, growing up in T'Nagar, we have always had Dr. Srinivasan (or Cheenu maama) who had a cure for every disease known to mankind. He had two sets of liquid, a green liquid (bitter taste) and a red one (sweet taste). And fever, cold, dysentry...all were cured in a jiffy!
@above - He is still around (if you are talking about the one near Madley subway entrance in w.mambalam just opposite to the (old) sify iway). He is a great man.
I agree with you...
I think he passed away recently.
anon,
not really.. I wanted to be generic
padawan,
the only doctor i went to in w.mambalam is Harili and sukumar. but i have no familiarity etc. i am as familiar with doctors here as i am with the ones in india.
N much greater than 1
Yes, Dr. Vishwanathan - ashok nagar [Or Srinivasan, the pediatrician near Ashok Pillar] were the 2 doctors i consulted and they virtually had only 4 or 5 tablets that beats the shit out of any problems.
US la hopeless ! Mudiayala !
Through personal experience and some reading, I thought facilities/infrastructure-wise and competence of doctors-wise, America is the best. Deployment of health care service is where the real problem is.
Sukumar-a?! Same pinch.
Also why this sudeen Bodhi maram assessment?
I don't know. Medicine in the US is definitely a double edged sword as elegantstroke said. The medicine is great but the doctors tend to over-prescribe them. But if you ask, most doctors can tell you exactly what the problem you have while most of the doctors in India treat you like you were born yesterday. Nothing beats the personal touch of a long time family doctor though.
@hawkeye why have your posts become minimalistic? looking forward to more eloquent prose.
@Santhiya Is over prescription a problem in the U.S? Only in India, doctors prescribe an antipyretic, antibiotic, antihistamine, anti-helminthic and multivitamins everytime u visit them. 99% of common ailments subside in 3 days whether u take pills or not.
passport size photo also same feelings.
@Dr.Dheep There is over prescription as in not letting the immune system fight for the body. There are lots of over the counter medicine (aleve, tylenol,) that people take for anything from mild headaches. We have a different flu strand every year and most people get flu shots every year letting the virus mutilate and grow stronger.
Need not necessarily be true. Most doctors in India prescribe heavy doses or do not necessarily treat an issue from the root. Many a times they immediately recommend the most expensive treatment. As an example: a good friend of mine was childless for 5 years. All the doctors that he visited in Chennai and Bangalore suggested that they do an IVR. They did not go to the root of the problem. They were just treating the symptoms. When he & his wife moved to the USA, the issue was fixed in 3 months and they went to have a child naturally within a year.
I've had bad experiences especially with dentists in India. They too have this "hey go this expensive treatment and your problems will be fixed". They suggest surgery even for things that can be fixed by educating the patient.
Most people have good experiences with doctors who are family friends. And that is true in the USA as well.
I've had good experiences with a few doctors in Chennai. I really liked my kids' doctor who did not recommend any medication for colds, coughs, etc. Incidentally, he studied in the UK and worked in Europe and USA for several years before setting up his practice in Chennai.
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