The Brave Pedestrian

When a doctor (whether family doctor / general physician, consultant or surgeon) prescribes tests – pathology, radiology, X-rays, MRIs etc. – the lab doing those tests gives commissions. How much? That depends your city and your neighbourhood. (For instance, In South and Central Mumbai — 40%; in suburbs north of Bandra — a whopping 60 per cent). Doctors earn a lot more in this way than by way of consulting fees that you pay them. When your friendly GP refers you to a speciali st or surgeon, it's not necessarily because your ailment calls for it. It may simply be because he gets 30-40% from the first-time consulting fee that you pay the specialist -- which is typically higher than the usual fee. If the GP or consultant recommends hospitalization, he will receive kickback from the private nursing home as a percentage of all charges including ICU, bed, nursing care, surgery etc. Shocked? Don't be. Private medical practice, and indeed, all private sector is full of mal...

The doctor-patient relationship is based on information-asymmetry. It is generally believed that the doctor KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR BODY, whereas you know nothing. That is blind faith, perpetrated by the medical profession, which is a well-knit trade union. You are expected to be completely passive and trusting while the doctor or surgeon makes decisions for your body -- even when he makes irreversible decisions such as surgery. You are expected to trust that each and eve ry doctor or surgeon you meet will ACT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST. That is a straight-faced lie. Please be careful while making decisions about ELECTIVE SURGERIES, such as removal of your uterus. Please don't be bullied by your doctor into unnecessary hospitalization and operations "in order to avoid complications later on". Many of the scary worst-case scenarios predicted by surgeons are unlikely; such predictions are designed to make you (or your near-and-dear ones) go willingly into the operat...