22/05/2023
EMPOWERING PATIENTS with options about healthcare
For Australians, it is nothing short of amazing to read these words written by the medical establishment in India "Empowering patients with a cafeteria approach in healthcare"
The Indian healthcare system has been open to the participation of traditional systems of medicine alongside modern medicine to ensure optimum healthcare. A cafeteria approach involves empowering the patients to choose their treatment while informing them about the pros and cons of each system of medicine. Such an informed choice will improve the acceptability of medical interventions and patient compliance to treatment. Integrative medicine clinics in all parts of the country must be promoted, where doctors from all systems of medicine sit together and offer a choice to the patients.
The integrative approach involves utilising the strength of each system of medicine in the patient management plan. For example, people prefer some systems of medicine like homoeopathy due to fewer or no side effects, affordability, and palatability. Also, in chronic ailments, like joint pains, or kidney diseases, where there is not much that modern medicine can do to alleviate the sufferings, the benefits of homoeopathy can be utilised. In acute diseases also like fever, or cough and cold, which are distressing for the patients, homoeopathy can be of use, while modern medicine provides some symptomatic relief only. Homoeopathy has a clear-cut advantage in some areas. In fact, the growing concern about antimicrobial resistance could have a solution in Homoeopathy, since these medicines are not anti-pathogen in action. Rather, they are given with a wider, personalised approach to treat a condition. There have been encouraging studies to explore this aspect.
While in some other areas it may not help in curing the disease, but the quality of life, which is also an important aspect, can be improved.
Written by Prof. Nirmal Ganguly: Chancellor of International University of Public Health and Technology, Kolkata. He is also the Director General of International Institute of Innovation and Technology (I3TK) and is a pioneer microbiologist specializing in tropical diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diarrhoea. Recipient of the prestigious Civilian Award, Padma Bhushan in 2009 for his achievements, Prof. Ganguly is a graduate of R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata. He completed his MD in Microbiology from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and had the opportunity to serve in the same institution as Acting Director.
Professor Nirmal Ganguly has been the Professor Emeritus of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and was Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi from 1998 to 2007. An elected fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, he is currently President of the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER).
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/empowering-patients-with-a-cafeteria-approach-in-healthcare-2/
