Today it is hard not to have contempt for the medical profession, hard not to mistrust doctors and hospitals. On the one hand, there is amazing progress in medical research. But, on the other, all one sees when accessing medical help is greed.
For me, it is especially painful to see how things are for patients. My father was a doctor and he even resigned his job at the top of his career because he could not live with the fact that his bread and butter depended on the misery of others. He continued to practice but not for money.
So, naturally, when growing up, stories of doctors formed core reading for me. The Reader's Digest fed me a satisfactory supply of the lives and adventures of doctors. There was Lloyd C Douglas with his syrupy doses of the spiritual and the professional. There was The Dear and Glorious Physician, a historical account. And there was Richard Gordon with his hilarious Doctor series.
Somewhere along the way books about doctors and medicine dwindled. And even writings from earlier times fell out of sight. Meanwhile, medical dramas sprouted on TV. Most of these are quite ridiculous and only add to the growing divide between the world of medicine and that of patients.
It is in such a setting that I found myself blessed with Infinite Vision. The book burst into my world bringing a bright gleam of hope. Infinite Vision speaks of a flourishing initiative that allows patients to pay or not and offers quality care either way. It is, basically, the saga of the Aravind Eye Care System, a set of eye hospitals and ophthalmological initiatives that is now spread around the world.
Have a look at what Aravind is basically about:
Today, in this terrible time, such a book can offer hope - what we need to do at this juncture is to look at how we can offer almost cost-free medical service to populations. Alas, that seems to be last on the list of anyone's concerns. The contemporary doctor has to whip up enough money to pay various EMIs - rent for the clinic, for equipment, for staff. And for family needs which rise with status. In this book you can find strategies which might provide some solutions.
For me, it is especially painful to see how things are for patients. My father was a doctor and he even resigned his job at the top of his career because he could not live with the fact that his bread and butter depended on the misery of others. He continued to practice but not for money.
So, naturally, when growing up, stories of doctors formed core reading for me. The Reader's Digest fed me a satisfactory supply of the lives and adventures of doctors. There was Lloyd C Douglas with his syrupy doses of the spiritual and the professional. There was The Dear and Glorious Physician, a historical account. And there was Richard Gordon with his hilarious Doctor series.
Somewhere along the way books about doctors and medicine dwindled. And even writings from earlier times fell out of sight. Meanwhile, medical dramas sprouted on TV. Most of these are quite ridiculous and only add to the growing divide between the world of medicine and that of patients.
It is in such a setting that I found myself blessed with Infinite Vision. The book burst into my world bringing a bright gleam of hope. Infinite Vision speaks of a flourishing initiative that allows patients to pay or not and offers quality care either way. It is, basically, the saga of the Aravind Eye Care System, a set of eye hospitals and ophthalmological initiatives that is now spread around the world.
Have a look at what Aravind is basically about:
1 comment:
True! I have heard about Aravind Eye Care too. Kudos to them!
Post a Comment