Speedy and I don’t see a doctor regularly. In fact, we haven’t seen a doctor in years. The last time he did, he had to because he had to undergo therapy for bells palsy. The last time I did was when I gave birth to Alex.
During times when we feel we need professional medical advice, I call up my physician aunt and she’s all we need. We don’t see specialists and it’s unlikely we’ll see one. If we should ever get seriously ill — and I sure hope we don’t — we’ll probably go to my mother-in-law’s doctor who practices herbal medicine. Or we can consult someone we trust like Dr. Emer who lives by the philosophy that “Laughter and walking are the best medicines.”
Trust. That’s the keyword.
When our daughters were born, we chose a pediatrician we trusted — the childhood friend of Speedy’s sister. The doctor’s family home was right across the street from my in-laws’. Her family and my husband’s have been friends for decades. We trusted her. The last time Alex got sick (we thought she might have dengue), we brought her to this doctor — Dr. Liza, we call her — who assured us that our girls could be her patients until they are 19.
Why are we so averse to seeing doctors? Sad to say that our perception of many of them is not very flattering.
I’ve written about it before in a column and in two other blog entries which unfortunately were among those wiped out when my blogs suffered from technical problems in December 2005.
Yeah, it is about the practice of doctors of accepting gifts, payments and other freebies from pharmaceutical companies. A study says that some fields of specializations are more prone to the corruption than others. Oh, yes, it is corruption and corruption is a relationship — one party corrupts another party who is willing to be corrupted.
The issue hit the international headlines again today. Some say no one really knows if the practice benefits patients.
Personally, I don’t see why anyone has to look for benefits when the detriments are clear. The practice jacks up the prices of drugs because the largesse spent by drug companies on doctors — and which they gobble up like piranhas — are padded on the companies’ operational costs and are thus passed on to consumers.
Then, there’s conflict of interest. Whose welfare must the doctor protect first? I think it’s naive to think that pharma companies will continue to shower a doctor with gifts if he fails to return the favor by prescribing drugs peddled by these companies. In the Philippine experience, that should explain why so many doctors — including high profile ones — fought tooth and nail against the passage of the Generic Drugs Law. And that should also explain why, DESPITE the Generic Drugs Law, doctors today still write the brand names of medicines in their prescriptions.
I don’t think it is unfair when newspapers use words like “hooked” and “beholden“. Doctors are hooked — addicted — to these perks and freebies. And they are beholden to the pharma companies which they have to keep happy too to keep the freebies flowing.
At whose expense?
Does that make them trustworthy?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
rolly 04.26.07 at 7:55 pm
As I said in Ipanema’s blog, medicines, like politicians, should be weighed according to their performance and not on the advertisin/marketing strategies.
Off topic: Talking about doctors, one thing I hate when going to see one is having to wait a very long time. Sometimes, the nurse would say the doctore should be arriving at 11 and he/she arrives at 12. Meanwhile, there is already a long queue of patients when you arrive. And for what? For 10 to fifteen minuters tops of consultation. ANd this is not cheap, mind you. Ahh the life of a diabetic.
Connie 04.26.07 at 9:04 pm
Naku, Tito Rolly, totoo yan. THEY set their own clinic hours, say 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Then they will arrive at 10 AND do the rounds in the hospital for an hour before seeing the patients. Kainis. So useless to set an appointment because they never follow their own clinic schedules.
pinayhekmi 04.26.07 at 11:34 pm
I don’t trust the doctors here. They prescribe antibiotics like candy to me when all I’ve gone there for is some allergy relief. WTF?! I threw out the antibiotics prescription.
I keep pushing Woody to go for a Holistic PHD so he can be my doctor :). He doesn’t trust the Western medical setup either. He has his own health routine (garlic, ginseng, and lots more) and has yet to get sick after he fixed his diet to avoid his GI irritation. It’s been 3 years since he’s had to go to the doctor.
I just heard of a study (need to research this) done by Harvard, that most doctors nowadays base their treatment decisions based on drug advertisements and peddling they experience. Scary.
Connie 04.27.07 at 2:00 am
pinayhekmi, treatment based on ads? that’s terrible! and lazy. and… a lot of expletives come to mind, actually.
nikita 04.27.07 at 4:48 am
Hmm, my doctor doesn’t push expensive brands on me or his patients. My doc is filipino (from the Philippines) but finished his schooling here in the US.
When I go to see him, he will give me what samples he has and as much as he can give me so I don’t have to pay for a prescription.
If I have to get a prescription, it’s not the doctor but the pharmacist that will ask me if I want to try the generic alternative because it costs less.
Now, I do get the generic version a lot but only 1 instances where it wasn’t a good idea for me to get it. The generic version had really bad side effect so I had to get the branded version.
I guess it will all depend on your health insurance here in the US. You pay a certain fee for your prescriptions. If you get branded, it could cost you $15 only (according to your plan) but if you get generic, it could only cost $5.
Connie 04.29.07 at 1:10 am
nikita, the distribution of samples alone is one big issue. unless a doctor makes it clear to the patient that SAMPLE means the drug has not passed all stages of testing and approval and may therefore pose possible hazardous effects on the patient’s body, he has no business giving samples at all. in fact, by giving away samples, he is already acting as an agent of the drug company that made those samples.
pinaymd 04.30.07 at 11:29 pm
i’m sorry to hear about your bad experiences with doctors. My apologies to all of you who feel that doctors are not trustworthy. I’m a doctor and I feel the need to speak up on a few comments.
Rolly, about the long wait for your doctor, most young doctors nowadays have to go to several clinics in one day, so maybe that’s why they come in late. Even if you implement an appointment system, Patients here do not know how to follow appointments - they do not confirm or cancel appointments. This problem is not exclusive to the Phils. It also happens in other countries too.
Pinayhekmi, I’m sorry you don’t trust the doctors here. Maybe you have not found the one that is right for you. Not all give out antibiotics straight away. Did you ask why your doctor gave you the the medication? Maybe you had an underlying infection. Maybe your doctor just forgot to explain it to you. Treatments based on Ads? Scary I agree but most doctors would try it out on themselves first or make sure that it works before prescribing it to their patients. Wholistic Medicine? - sure why not! Whatever keeps you healthy.
Connie, the drug companies usually target a core group of doctors who they splurge on. Thats not good, I agree. I personally give out only samples of meds that are reputable and have a good tract record and BFAD approved, and usually to those really indigent patients. Better than selling them or throwing it away. The government funding for this type of thing is nonexistent. Most young doctors write down the generic name but when the px goes to the drugstore, the saleslady decides on what brand to sell to the customer. Ibang klase rin the drugstores here, they sell pa-tingi tingi and without a prescription.
Connie 05.01.07 at 12:01 am
pinaymd, re “Patients here do not know how to follow appointments - they do not confirm or cancel appointments”
there are only two kinds of appointments that pinoys keep religiously — appointment with the doctor and the dentist.
what is there to confirm when it the appointment has been made?
“most young doctors nowadays have to go to several clinics in one day”
SO WHAT? If they can’t manage their time, they shouldn’t have too many clinics. Masama ang swapang.
“the drug companies usually target a core group of doctors who they splurge on”
NOT TRUE. Any doctor who is willing to “reciprocate” becomes a beneficiary. All those hours we’ve spent in hospitals, I took notice of what the med reps do there.
john 05.01.07 at 6:07 pm
I look forward to the free lunch/dinner that the drug reps would provide to us when i was still struggling doctor in training.
Connie 05.02.07 at 1:28 pm
Hay, naku, I rest my case.