That friendly doctor down the road becomes a rarity

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The comfort of a family doctor visiting an ailing patient’s home with the rest of the family members surrounding her or him, eager to listen to the diagnosis while predicting their own, has become a rare experience.

The practice of a general physician has been seeing a downward trend as multi-speciality hospitals and small-scale clinics across localities have started to spring up in the city. Now, home visits are rare, and patients often pick and choose between the kinds of doctor they would like to visit.

“General physicians are very much important as they look at each individual as a whole and not just an affected organ. They correlate all symptoms, so that the patient is treated accordingly. They are the first step, may it be for surgical or medical patients,” said Dr Anantha Padmanabha, Consultant – Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Nagarbhavi.

General practitioners act as a vital link in the chain of primary healthcare. For example, if one is fighting a headache, trailing numerous expensive tests to find out which specialist to go to is not easy-going. These family doctors also know the patient’s illnesses, conditions and allergies due to regular visits, along with their family history and refer their patients to specialists only when necessary.

While record keeping is done in an efficient manner nowadays, each ailment’s file is lost in a different hospital. “Small symptoms can be resolved without the amount of cost, time and stress spent on seeking a specialist. This turns into an addiction in a few cases and unnecessary medication is fed to the individual for long durations. To avoid symptoms being over-diagnosed, treated and investigated, a general physician is necessary,” Dr Padmanabha added.

India has an ever-rising number of specialists with more graduating each year. But the notion that a general physician is a less-prestigious job looms around. While a family doctor might be much loved, they do not earn as much as a specialist. General medicine is not seen as an area of importance anymore and patients too have come around to believe that a specialist would offer a better diagnosis.

On the other hand, “In the urban setup, we see patients recognising the concept of a physician or a specialist in internal medicine. However, depending on his or her view, they take the consultation forward or even the lead of the need of intervention by a specialist,” said Dr Aditya S Chowti, Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Cunningham Road, Bengaluru.