Medical Consumption and Clinical Practice: India at the Crossroads

Abstract

In an almost soul-searching analysis of the changing patterns and practices of medical consumption in India, seen best as the dense point between the doctor and the patient, this chapter journeys through the complex world of organized medical practices, norms and technologies set almost always by the developed and influential West. That such growing emphases upon and practice of evidence-based consultation, diagnosis, treatment and, importantly, mode of payment have undermined the urgency and mechanism of reaching medical facilities to the huge number of poor and geographically disadvantaged population remain a key concern in relooking global standards critically. The discrediting of the individualized doctor–patient interaction—that has been drawing upon traditional knowledge, experiences and sensitivity to the local conditions—has been an unintended (maybe) consequence of bringing standards to the Indian medical consumption scenario. A particularly disturbing aspect has been the gradual derecognition of the potential of and encouragement due to public provisioning of technological leadership that could set different but more relevant medical standards.