Dr Ravi Singh
Whenever I attend a scientific homoeopathic conference or Hahnemann’s Birthday celebration our chief guests, ministers and dignitaries on stage says that homoeopathy should be promoted because it is cheaper than allopathic medicine. It seems to them homoeopaths are getting patients because of cheapness of their medicine rather their effectiveness. Naturally they will look at homoeopathic physician as 3rd grade poor fellow.
In true senses allopathic medicines are also cheap except few life saving drugs, pathological investigations, and surgery. As you might know many famous allopathic physicians who prescribe very few cheap medicine and patient got relieved but they charges high consultation fees. Physician charges for their mental ability not as per medicine cost.
Many times our patients ask Doctor you are charging so high although homoeopathic medicines are so cheap. They say so because they have came from hands of our brother homoeopaths who charges 10 Rs per week for one drachm vial? Today when I was writing this article one of my patient came and I was giving him medicine, he was carrying old vial which I have given him at first consultation. He said he is carrying this because when he had taken treatment from an old Homoeopath of Varanasi who always insists patients to bring old vials. He said “ homoeopathic ilaaj mein to purani shishi lana padta hai”?. These types of myths and cheapness don’t sound good at lease for me.
I always appreciate and have regards for homoeopathic physicians who charge high, if you want to help poor people you can join or open a charitable dispensary but please don’t loose your dignity by charging so less. In this reference I personally know a very famous homoeopath of Allahabad who has one clinic at middle class or lower socioeconomic area, other air conditioned clinic at posh area and he also visit at a charitable dispensary. This may be a nice example for young homoeopaths.
Yes, definitely as a branch of medicine, we are bound to serve humanity with our system, but we have opted for this science as our profession also, so we have every right to provide it with dignity and respect. Apart from our duties towards society as citizens, we also have our duties towards our family.
Sometimes, it is necessary to charge patient with high fee, to make him realize the importance of medicine and severity of his own complaints.
When a student pass his/her intermediate and choose medical science as a profession, he will definitely look at his surrounding physicians and their survival in society. If at that time he sees a homoeopath who is hardly earning something for their bread and butter, then how they will choose homoeopathy as a carrier.
I have seen many students of combined pre medical test who instead of qualified for B.H.M.S. have left their seat and again try for other branches. Homoeopaths should think how shameful is this situation and only homoeopaths are responsible because they have created a bad example in society that homoeopaths are poor or cheap doctors. If you leave the metros this is situation in almost every part of our country. For this cheapness at last homoeopathy also suffers because creamy student layer or brain of society are diverting towards other branches of medical science.
I appreciate many new modern clinics of metros who charges high (although I disagree with their multimedicine or patent prescriptions) to raise standard of homoeopathy and homoeopathic physicians in society. Recently I have visited such homoeopathic clinic at Gurgaon who charges Rs. 10000 as consultation fee, a fee very few homoeopaths can dream about. I do not want to comment on his method as in homoeopathy every physician has his own methodology but I salute his confidence and appreciate for raising standard of homoeopathic physician.
I do not mean that you should burgle or rob your patient, but if you are giving patient long lasting, harmless relief in chronic complaint who had invested lot of money in their ailment with side effects and sufferings you can take as much high charges. It will depend on your confidence and believe me if the patient gets cured he will never question you about your charges.
For this we have to start from root. First of all there should be increase of standard of education level at homoeopathic colleges. Colleges should run their OPD and IPD honestly so during graduation students witnesses good cases and develop confidence. At the same time professors and teachers of homoeopathic colleges should practice good homoeopathy in every sense at their personal OPD, because that will be the first and most important impression to neophytes (when I was graduating from Maharashtra most of teachers were practicing either Allopathy or not practicing at all and college OPD and IPD were decorated with false hired patients only during inspections.)
Another most important point during practice is personal competence and knowledge. One should not promise for cases of Carcinoma, or multiple sclerosis, Kidney failure or difficult cases only because these diseases are curable with homoeopathy, yes they are curable but by homoeopaths who have dedication and enthusiasm for homoeopathy and studied hard in their life. (One very bad habit of homoeopaths is not referring or consulting their senior homoeopaths or teachers.) One should promise a patient about his disease after assessing his own capacity because every new case is a new faith in homoeopathy.
At last, I just want to add, that every physician has his own way of treating patients, his own vies about practicing in every aspect, but after all it is our, homoeopath’s duty to upgrade this our own great ‘ Homoeopathic System ‘ and give it the rightful dignity.
Dr Ravi Singh B.H.M.S., M.D. (Homoeo) A.P.
Faizabad Road. Lucknow U.P.
Mo. 09935898134 Email :drravilucknow@gmail.com
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