Malpractice Or Poor Judgement? :: essays research papers

Malpractice or Poor Judgement?The practice of medicine has never claimed to be an exact science. Infact, it is genuinely much a hit-and-miss situation. Taking into account these abovefactors, India seems to be on a destructive trend regarding their level ofhealth care. Ever since private health check services fell under the ConsumerProtection Act (COPRA) in April 1993, the number of malpractice suits filedagainst doctors has begun to soar. For example, in Kerala, approximately 1800cases (15% of the total number of cases) fall in been filed. As Dr. Dipak Banerjeeof the Indian aesculapian Association puts it Its degenerating into a kind ofwitch-hunt.For years the community of doctors across India was immune to charges ofmalpractice, but the tide has begun to turn. Doctors are now having to dish outlarger sums of bullion in order to insure themselves adequately. Insurancecompanies have caught on as well, raising the price of malpractice insurance onmost doctors. For instance, a do ctor who would have had to pay Rs. 125 annuallynow has to pay up to Rs. 1500. These costs will barely be passed along to thepatients in the long run, and the condition is only going to worsen. Take forexample the United States, where surgeons annually pay an average of $75,000 oninsurance premiums. On top of these premiums, doctors who practice verydefensively amplify as much as $21 billion US to the health care bill every year.Twenty percent of the tests prescribed by doctors were not necessary, but theyare the result of defensive practising by doctors who do not want to be heldliable.This condition, already appearing in India, could become the downfall oftheir invest health care industry. Doctors are being forced to look uponevery patient as a potential litigant. There is likely going to be atremendous rise in the cost of treatment as doctors begin this new wave ofdefensive practising, in which a series of high-ticket(prenominal) tests are carried outbefore any diagnosis is ma de. Quoting Dr. Chockalingam (Chairman of the IndianChapter of Royal College of Surgeons), If a patient comes with a headache wemay now order a CT scan lest we miss a brain tumour... We now have to seewhether a patient comes alone for consultation or brings along his advocate.This hassle could lead, and has led, to many others. Doctors may shuncomplicated cases where risk is high due to the delicate nature of the procedure,so as not to be hauled to court. This refusal to treat patients has already