I want to see a Physician

My working days in the hospital as a intern has taught and showed me a lot of things in the past 3 months. So many recoveries, so many miracles, so many happy faces and equal number of deaths. People die in front of my eyes everyday, no matter how hard we try, their death somehow seems evident. Medicine saves lives but can't bring back the dead. Our life is in our own hands to cherish & nourish it.

                Everyday nearly 2-3 cases of poisoning reaches the emergency department who tried to commit suicide or moreover should i say tried to scare their family by making a drama. Drama because none of them take enough amount of poison that will kill them. They just make it hard for them selves and for the poor family members. Once during my duty hours they bring  in a patient who himself was accepting of having taken 'sulfas' a potent poison with 100% mortality rate. It's very rare when people survive after taking SULFAS. However this guy seemed alright except for looking drowsy. His family had made him drink soap water and make him vomit thrice on the way reaching here. Unless and until you know what poison has been taken it's very difficult to decide the antidote. We treated him according to the symptoms which clearly indicated some other poisoning. He had pulled this drama just to scare his family and to show them that he's a serious man who can even commit a coward thing like suicide. Each day number of such cases are being reported in our parts of the world.

Death comes as the end

                 Similarly a lot of other cases show up at the end stage of the disease. People keep on avoiding their problems and try out their home remedies to take relief. And when thing finally move out of hand that is when they remember a doctor. At this point it's difficult for us as well, people then not to reckon that. And over that they expect us to magically make the person fit in moments. We are doctors not magicians. Today with our advance life style and fast food fashion we invite a lot of unwanted and serious health problems. Surveys have shown even small children as low as age of 14 are having hypertension. People are now dying at an early age with Heart Attack being the most common cause. Every second person is having diabetes and every third is having arthritis or gout.
                 "What's the solution you ask?" The answer is simple - "Healthy Lifestyle". A complete self controlled and simple way of living promises you a long and disease free life. With the help of Lifestyle channels and the Internet people are well aware of what's good and what's not. To avoid the very common tormentors of life like hypertension, gout, angina etc. you should keep a check on what you EAT, the main culprit to all that is happening to your body. And the point where you have done your part comes in the role of a General Physician.

General Physician

                  A General Physician (GP) is your personal trainer to a healthy body, your coach to kick of diseases & your guide to a beautiful  ailment free life. A GP is your first step to the medical  world. He's the station master who directs you to specialists when required. Whenever we fall ill we shot for specialists which is not the very best idea. One should go to his family physician first as he knows you well, knows your medical history, knows your allergies and he is as good as a specialist when it's just a fever or stomach ache. He'll examine you and when things are out of his reach it's then when he refers you to a specialist. Going directly to a specialist has it's own merits and demerits like he will treat you in the same line of drug as GP if it doesn't require any special treatment. Also he'll charge double the physician's fee. It's hard to get a specialist's appointment and above all he can only treat and think in the direction of his specialization and none other.

ENT Specialist

Eye Specialist

Child Specialist

                
                                     For example a Cardiologist will keep on looking for something wrong with the heart and will not treat for any stomach related disorders and vice versa. Whereas a GP will look in general the whole body and it's different parts instead of referring to different persons for each part. A GP can treat from diabetes, migraine, jaundice, malaria, dengue, tuberculosis, hypertension, gout, arthritis, peptic ulcer, gastritis, psychosis, etc. to hypochondria, suturing minor cuts, fungal infections, psoriasis, alopecia, menstrual disorders etc. To sum up almost anything as long as it doesn't requires surgery or micro specialty like cardiomyopathies and nephrology etc.

                    
                               Sadly lack of this knowledge among the commoners is leading to a shortage of GP's in our country. As people shot for specialists in every medical emergency GP's tend to do specialization and are able to charge more. We can only help improve the health services in our country by demanding GP's and reducing the overall medical cost. The fist thing is you to have yourself a family physician whom you can reach over the phone or call home at time of emergencies, whom you can visit all year round and get your selves regular health check ups. Your GP can direct you to all the test you are to get done regularly instead of wasting your money on a big amount of tests which are not even necessary. He'll tell you what to eat and what not to if you have diabetes or gout. What to do or what not to when you have tonsillitis or hernia, and endlessly so many things. 
                   My 3 years of internship has taught me a lot of things but it has lead me to become a MD GP. MD because people slaves to their nature, will look for a specialist when ill and GP because what they actually need is a GP. Know more and help yourself, help the society or stay ignorant and witness the downfall.