Cancer - Important News 2

Please read the 'Current News - Cancer and psychology' section on the right pane of this blog for invaluable info.

Recently, in a study, patients were asked to write about their feelings and emotions. As the patients expressed their sentiments, it actually revealed their psychological needs. The doctors could take action to improve the mental condition of the patients accordingly. The relation between the mind and immune system is very much important.

Following link details the study:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25738966/

In India, most of the doctors are aware of this, but still they pay less attention to this fact. Here I’m tempted to narrate my experience about how hospitals and few doctors squeeze out money from a patient.

If a patient has no problem, he/she shouldn’t visit a hospital. That’s quite natural. But in Mumbai, India, a reputed hospital authority thinks otherwise. They’ll charge an extra fee because a patient was fit enough and so didn’t visit them for 3 consecutive months!!! Yes, I’m not kidding. This is a fact.

Do you want to know another inhuman way to squeeze money from a dying patient?

They levy a charge, called ‘charge for planning’, on patients receiving chemotherapy. This charge is levied on the patient because the doctor prescribed the dose and drug. One has to pay both the consultancy fee and the planning charge. The patient will have to pay this ‘planning charge’ for every dose even if nothing new will be added in the process. Have you ever heard of a doctor who charges a patient twice because he is i) prescribing a drug and ii) deciding the dose of that drug? A well designed example of financial exploitation.

They charge ‘bed charge’ plus charges for the facilities like a/c, fan chairs and toilets. If any junior doctors are requested to visit the patient during chemo, they’ll again charge a fee. In total one will find himself paying an extra of Rs 4500 – Rs 5000 in Indian Rupee.

I met the person who ‘discovered’ various such illogical methods to earn money. He never looked like a human being; he was so faceless and emotionless. His idea was that a cancer patient would die, and so what’s wrong if the patient give us some of his /her wealth to make us rich. I’m sure he’ll be able to pull out money even from the ruins. And I hope he or his family members never get affected with cancer and realize how difficult it is for an affected family to arrange huge expenses for treatment.

Well, I have got another news to highlight. Read the following article if you go for ‘safe tan’.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26772592/

But there is a controversy and confusion. So following report is good to understand things better.

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/behindtheheadlines/sunlightandvitamind/?a=5441