00:07.0
00:11.3
It is my request to Indian doctors, please increase your fees
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00:16.2
It might sound odd to non medicos, that I’m requesting Indian doctors to charge more
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00:25.4
The general perception among public is that Healthcare should ideally be low cost to people and affordable for poor
00:25.5
00:34.5
When compared to developed countries like USA, many feel India has this positive aspect of cheaper healthcare
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00:39.4
Yet I request Indian doctors to follow the American model and hike their fees
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00:44.3
If you're charging ₹300 then charge ₹3000
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00:51.5
Make it 10 times over night, or even more. It's absolutely not against the law to do that
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00:56.4
Believe me, if that happens then India will scale much greater heights than ever
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01:01.3
This is what will happen.
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01:10.2
First of all. Patients’ behaviour will improve
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01:17.3
If you're a doctor then some patients will ask “why are you charging money?”
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01:26.2
Even if you’re charging as low as ₹200 (less than USD 3) per visit
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01:31.1
They won't ask about the electricity and water bills that you have to pay
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01:37.3
They won't ask you about rental expenses
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01:45.2
They won't ask you about staff who demand salaries on time and a hike every year
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01:50.1
They won't ask about inflation
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01:55.0
They won't ask about hardware companies selling devices at profitable rates
01:55.1
02:02.8
They won’t ask you about family members aspiring to have a lifestyle at par with their peers
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02:08.9
They will simply ask why isn't their doctor treating them for free
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02:15.0
Because the fees is so low people take it for granted
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02:19.9
On the contrary, people don’t ask expensive brands like Mercedes and BMW to give free things
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02:27.6
They happily pay what is asked and feel proud doing so
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02:36.9
Hence, charge such a high amount that people won’t bother asking for freebies
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02:41.8
Next advantage - It'll reduce vicious cycle of commission
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02:51.0
Some humans in medical profession (not all) prescribe medicines from selected brands based on "targets"
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03:00.1
Some humans in medical profession prescribe more number of tests to patients so that they'll get referral amount
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03:05.0
Why? Because they're earning less from their regular income
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03:09.9
They’re unable to increase their rates, for several reasons
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03:18.9
So let them earn so much from their regular income that they won't retort to these external things
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03:23.8
Let people take only those medicines and tests which are essential
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03:28.7
The next benefit is it'll Improve health of a patient
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03:33.6
Because it’ll be expensive, patients will try to come fewer times to a doctor
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03:38.5
and will take better care of their health
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03:43.4
That way they'll take each prescription and advise more seriously
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03:55.7
Same way people let scratches happen on cheap Nokia phones and take utmost care of their expensive iPhones
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04:02.3
Another plus will be Lesser brain drain
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04:15.7
I have seen people in USA buying things like house with botanical garden area and private jets
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04:22.2
which their Indian counterparts can't imagine
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04:27.1
If Indian doctors earned this much amount here
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04:32.0
then neither will they go abroad to practice
04:32.1
04:36.9
nor will our rich people go overseas for treatment
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04:41.8
Happier youth.
04:41.9
04:46.7
These days, people of young age like going to restaurants with plush interiors
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04:51.6
They don’t care as much about basic raw material or savings - they just want good ambience
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04:56.5
So that they can click selfies and upload on social media
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05:01.4
This is a stark contrast from my parents generation,
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05:06.3
for whom eating out meant a place serving fresh meals
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05:09.7
They didn’t care much about interiors
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05:16.7
Not judging anyone, the current urban Indian youth wants good interiors
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05:21.6
They’re willing to spend ₹1000 for a plate of golgappas in a 5 star hotel
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05:23.9
even if they get the same thing elsewhere for cheap
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05:28.8
Hence doctors should do the same. Make their hospitals a 5 star selfie spot
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05:33.7
Youth will look forward to coming there and clicking selfies
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05:37.2
For that, doctors should increase their fees exponentially
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05:42.1
The next benefit will be Happier doctors
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05:47.0
Most of our society looks down upon doctors who spend money on themselves
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05:51.9
They don’t expect them to buy a Mercedes or take vacations abroad
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05:56.8
This has a toll on some doctors
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06:01.7
as they can’t publicly display the results of their hard earned money
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06:06.6
Hence, if it became acceptable that doctors are meant to make money
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06:11.5
then they won’t be judged
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06:16.4
Then every doctor will be able to freely display their wealth and also security systems at home
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06:21.3
In fact, the more society tries to suppress a doctor from displaying their wealth,
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06:26.2
more they’ll want to show it. So give them the freedom to do it
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06:31.1
The next advantage will be Relaxed doctors
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06:36.0
These days, it’s a matter of stress for doctors
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06:40.9
when a patient does self diagnosis on the Internet
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06:45.8
The patient reads some random articles via Google
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06:50.7
and then argues with prescription given by doctor
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06:55.6
Some patients feel their few minutes of random research
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07:00.5
is more insightful than several years of experience held by the doctor
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07:05.4
Some patients also come for time pass
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07:10.3
whereas they should be coming only if they seriously need a check up
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07:15.2
Because the doctor charges very low, patients take it for granted
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07:20.1
If instead of ₹200, a doctor was charging ₹20,000, then the patient would have dared not argue
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07:25.0
They would have thought that the doctor is charging so much, so they must be right
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07:29.9
The next advantage of increasing fees will be More number of doctors
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07:34.8
Experienced doctors are flooded with
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07:39.7
a lot more patients than newer ones
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07:44.6
One reason is they continue charging much less then younger ones
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07:49.5
Even in your city you'll see old doctors charging less than newer ones
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07:54.4
If the experienced ones charge more
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07:59.3
then younger ones will get a chance as well
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08:04.2
So there will be more number of doctors graduating and it'll be a level playing field for new entrants as well
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08:09.1
Instead of engineering, parents will force their kids to take up medical
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08:14.0
Then even the fresh graduates will have a chance of finding clients
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08:18.9
due to less rates, just like software engineers
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08:23.8
Level playing field, experienced has more rates, younger have less rates
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08:28.7
Another big positive will be Doctors having More time for family
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08:33.6
Due to standard deviation
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08:38.5
Each doctor will have similar number of patients, so their working hours will reduce
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08:43.4
I have seen Doctors who work 15 hours and yet patients come to their home at 12 in the night
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08:48.3
citing emergency, even though the Doctor has clearly mentioned they don't check at home
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08:53.2
If working hours becomes balanced, Doctors will be able to devote more time to their family
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08:58.1
This will boost the economy
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09:03.0
as they’ll get time for shopping, eating out, buying luxury goods, etc.
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09:08.5
And a very big plus will be that people will understand it's Just another profession
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09:13.4
It’s time people realised that doctor is a profession, they are not gods
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09:18.3
I do not know a single doctor who calls herself /himself as god
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09:23.2
Just as how a cricketer gets out on zero
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09:28.1
same way a doctor too makes unintentional mistakes
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09:33.0
If people realised that a doctor is here to earn money and try their best
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09:44.1
then they won’t break hospital windows after death of a patient
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09:49.0
Because for someone who is not a god, the outcome is not in their hands
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09:53.9
One more plus is It will improve things
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10:03.0
People will start driving safely on road, fearing high cost of treatment
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10:07.9
Parents will force kids to spend less time on mobiles, as they won’t be able to afford eye care
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10:12.8
also they'll encourage kids to go and play outdoors
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10:17.7
Like in Singapore the treatment is so expensive,
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10:22.6
people make efforts not to fall sick
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10:27.5
People who will feel “why deprive the poor of affordable healthcare?” will have to start improving levels for their upliftment
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10:32.4
It’s not the responsibility of doctors to end poverty, isn’t it?
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10:37.3
For many years poverty hasn't been eradicated, we must all make collective efforts on that
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10:42.2
We may finally see cancer getting eradicated,
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10:47.1
thanks to investment in research. I pray no one goes through cancer
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10:52.0
And we may see the end of inventing diseases,
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10:56.9
just so that people will buy their antidote
10:57.0
11:01.8
Because such companies will know that people won’t be able to buy en masse
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11:06.7
Because such companies will know that people won’t be able to buy en masse
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11:11.6
We may see people’s bodies getting stronger due to taking less medicines,
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11:16.5
and getting back to ways of holistic health, like in the olden days
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11:21.4
Because cheaper doesn’t always mean it’s better
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11:24.8
If only we could value the importance of having a human body
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11:29.7
If you are not a doctor, it's my request to you.
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11:34.6
Please understand what all a doctor goes through and has to face in life
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11:39.5
A doctor devotes their entire life in education and self study
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11:44.4
They start the process from early on in school, for various competitive exams. After so much of struggle, they finally get admission in a college
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11:49.3
Nowadays, the general category MBBS fees of some colleges is Rs. 50 Lakh for entire course
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11:54.2
Once that is over, the Doctor has to study further, as some people insist they won't get themselves treated from a simple MBBS
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11:59.1
So, they end up doing MD, DM, M Ch, etc. and so on
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12:04.0
By the time they finally get into practice, they are often under fear of violence against them
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12:08.9
they feel a lot, hearing that a patient passed away accidentally and their relatives broke hospital's windows
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12:13.8
A doctor also wants to devote time to family
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12:18.7
however they have so many working hours that some patients expect to treat them even if they've worked 15 hours a day
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12:23.6
Some doctors treat patients for free, by putting in money from own pockets
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12:28.5
Yet some patients don't value it
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12:31.5
Not only that, there are many more issues faced by Doctors in India
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12:36.4
If you see a Doctor, please understand that they're also a human
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12:41.3
There are all types of humans, good ones and the other type. You please see them simply as humans
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12:46.2
As will be our society, so will be its type of humans and hence the type of Doctors
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12:50.5
My wish for all of you is that may our country progress, people remain happy, and good things happen to good humans.
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12:52.4
Thank you for watching the video.
