Self Medication : Dangerous (523)

Young lady, with her Mother reported to Doctor’s Clinic & is having a conversation.

Look Doctor, my mother is suffering with fever since last 8 days and she is not responding to treatment.

Dr asked. Did you consult a doctor?
The daughter said, No.

Then what treatment were you giving?
Dr asked, being aware that patients nowadays start medication on their own.
I was giving her tablets like Mox, Crocin & Montek LC.

Did you consult any doctor? Doctor repeated the question.
No, some knowledge I was having and I asked the Pharmacist at the medical store. He advised.

OK, doctor said & asked the young lady,
Are you an expert in pharmacology.
No Doctor, I am graduate in mathematics. I have googled symptoms and sort treatment !

Okay. Dr said & asked Did you get any investigation done.
No. Came the answer from the attendee.

Okay. Dr stood up, went to the examination table where the patient was lying and examined her thorough & found Febrile, her spleen was enlarged, Conjunctiva pale & pedal Edema present. Doctor kept asking that any medication she is on or she is suffering with any disease like thyroid, hypertension or epilepsy or Diabetes. Noted her pulse, BP & auscultation her chest and got her RBS done.

He came to his table and started writing the prescription.
Dr said to the young lady, very politely, you should not have started any antibiotic without getting any investigation done. This harms more than giving a relief.
There was a grim facial expression on the Daughter’s face as her Mom stared in vacuum.

Doctor continued to utter,
Look young lady, even after having a practice of 40 years, I remain skeptical on picking a drug up as the practice of medicine is an art as well as science. It is an art of probability and science of uncertainty. So self medication or Pharmacist advised medications are is never advisable. It is never advised. If taking medicines without a qualified doctor’s prescription would have been genuine, legal & ethical why these many Medical Colleges should have been operational teaching this tough subject of medicine. Never GO for purchasing & using drugs on over-the-counter basis.
Okay!
Ji Sir, came a feeble voice of the daughter.

Doctor took over again by telling her, I have prescribed you to get admitted as many investigations have to be done because she is not in good shape. Get her admitted in any hospital of your choice, and let me know if you wish.
Ji sir. And patient Daughter duo left the clinic.

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Scenario is bad!!!!!!!!!

In any case, Can the doctors be held responsible for NOT being easily available or for being NOT cost-effective, or people think if we go to a doctor,
they will prescribe many investigations and
costly medicines.

Maybe this is correct, but in this era of easy over-the-counter availability of medicines, generic medicines and good number of physicians close by in every locality that gives an opportunity to contact a qualified MBBS in any kind of an Ailment and be treated properly to get rapid cure.

Somehow or the other, clinical examination part has taken a backseat in last few years and diagnosis is more dependent on investigations, which are making a dent in the small pocket of the Patient. This has to be given a second thought and minimum investigations with basic medication for infectious diseases can be a practiced to generate a goodwill for Doctors in society.