Geriatric Health

This blog is about my experiences of working as a Community/Preventive medicine intern at Seth G.S. Medical and K.E.M. Hospital. Three times a week we have a geriatric OPD at Naigaon which is an area adjacent to the hospital. The idea is to give care to old age patients in the outpatient department.

When I entered that room on my first day, I was shocked. Cobwebs, broken tube lights,non working fans, dusty tables, rocking chairs,rusty window panes, foul smelling air and so on. But what shocked me even more was the queue of people waiting outside the room for medications for chronic conditions like blood pressure, diabetes, backache, etc. As I entered the room, their brows lit up in anticipation that they shall be "cured" of their illness while others were just happy that they shall receive their free quota of medications.

In a narrow span of 1 hour, a team of 4 doctors quickly rushed over 20 patients!!!! Overwhelming, isn't it? Now you may wonder how did you see all those patients so quickly? The answer is the sad system of prescribing medicines and quickly writing a prescription of tablets and pushing it down the gullet of the old age patients.

Regardless to say we obviously didn't care for the failing kidneys or deteriorating depression because we are doctors who are very busy. But my question is, Can we substitute heath with pills? Can we bring back the mental peace in the minds of depressed by antidepressants? Can we control the blood pressure and the failing hearts by popping up losartan? Is it ethical? Or listening to a patients is just too much what they are asking for?

The answer is simple.

As physicians we commit to serve our patients and devote ourselves to the fullest to save lives and protect life. If we can achieve our goals just by talking or listening to patients instead of intoxicating them with unnecessary medications and tests, we are truly dedicating ourselves to the service of mankind. We have unfortunately befriended the pharmaceutical industry to such an extent that now patient care is replaced by pills and prescriptions, healing is replaced by treating, caring is replaced by curing. In true sense of it, if we all physicians lend an ear to our patients, address their problems as emotional symptoms rather than physical entities, we can reduce the number of visits at the same time increase the compliance.

The lady in this picture is facing her back reminding me of how we choose to face back at real problems and prefer to label them with fancy medical terms!