I am of the firm opinion that Prevention is better than cure. Medical Education in India was at par with US or UK till late sixties and early seventies.There were hardly any private/ Capitaion fees colleges. Teacher were dedicated and so were student. I feel that there was significant deterioration in seventies in the society. Reflection of this was also obvious in all the areas including Medical Education. I attribute this to retirement of generation that was taught under British regime. It was only at the onset of 21st century that we have started realizing the harm done to the nation during 1975-2000. With the opening of economy and ease of travelling abroad has made us realize that even undeveloped countries at the time of Indian Independence have gone far ahead of us.The example of such countries are not on city nation of Singapore but countries like South Korea Malayasia etc.
More than in other disciplines, there is an urgent need for effective regulatory apparatus and framework to ensure the quality of healthcare particularly of the doctors. Medical degrees from the countries where medical education is more affordable Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Russian bloc countries, Kosovo, Belarus viz. need to be considered for evaluation and recognition. All said and done doctors are loath to do rural service. Thats why health care remains in the hands of the quacks in the vast hinterland. There is a need to develop proper domestic health tourism also in which no body seems to be interested. One has to see the crowds and pathetic conditions at AIIMS and similar hospitals accross the country. Outside every Medical College there is the booming business of its staff doing roaring private practice in owned or other privatenusrshing homes and from homes. Homeopathy and indigenous systems are more affordable because the medicines of those systems are not so costly. There is a great opportunity in clinical trials which can be conducted at one tenth of the cost as else where. This is a very strong instruments to make the pharmas developing novel drungs to price them proportionately at one tenth of the cost in the USA. But for corruption at the higest levels, it should no be so difficult to make the life saving novel drugs also affordable in India.
