Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA day before, I wrote that we should not sell mammography as a screening modality in resource limited setting. Today’s Annals of Internal Medicine carries recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on screening for breast cancer in general population. Interestingly, USPSTF in 2002 had advocated for routine screening mammography at age 40; … Read more
Reading Time: 4 minutesA year before, our hospital acquired a mammography unit, aimed at early detection of breast cancer in women. We did so at the behest of Medical Council of India (MCI) – provision of mammography is one of the several prerequisites for granting approval for MD (Radiodiagnosis) post-graduation programme. Eager to win MCI approval, we spent … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesTaori sir and bhabhi. Forty years back, an arranged marriage brought you together. Sir, you joined the department of Biochemistry in a medical school that was beginning to take roots in Sevagram. Bhabhi chose to be a homemaker. Your children went to the same medical school where you served as a faculty for three decades … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesSmart ties, black bags and glib tongues. It has been more than four years since Kasturba hospital saw medical representatives on campus. We took this measure to counter the growing perception that interaction between doctors and medical sales representatives was harming our patients’ economic health. Not an easy decision. Some doctors clearly felt uncomfortable. “Medical … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe MD theses, finally, are over. Focused research questions, great introductions, meticulous methods, well-laid out results and structured discussions. But what the theses won’t have this year is their most readable section – acknowledgements. The section, guides loved to leaf through in the close confines of their office. The section that boosted their self-esteem. The … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesEvery few years, our CAT scan machine drops dead- only to purr again. Bought about 10 years back, the machine has scanned about 20,000 heads, chests and bellies. At times, for some inexplicable reasons, the CAT stands still- a CATastrophic event in the hospital. And as engineers-flown from Bangalore- lay their hands on the CAT … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesSmart ties, black bags and glib tongues. It has been more than a month since we saw this combination in our hospital. Few weeks back, we decided to say no to medical representatives on campus. We took this measure to counter the growing perception that interaction between doctors and medical sales representatives was harming our … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesMedical case records carry a story. They describe the journey of patients from the admission to the discharge. They tell us, chronologically, why were the patients admitted, how were they diagnosed, why doctors couldn’t fix their problems, how were they managed, what complications did they develop, what made them stay long and finally how did … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesPaisa Vasool! The fate of the second one-day match between India and Australia was almost decided even before Australian openers took guard. 350+ was too good a total for a very ordinary Australian batting line-up. This is a match Ponting would quickly like to forget: his bowlers gave away over 100 runs in the last … Read more
Reading Time: 6 minutesDespite more than a half century of proclamations on primary healthcare, most rural facilities in India continue to lack enough providers, equipment and infrastructure to offer effective and efficient care. In the latest effort to address this inequitable distribution the union health and family welfare minister announced a plan requiring doctors to practise in rural … Read more