LEARN INSURANCE

While patients in the US are deluged with information, patients in India are usually starved for this. They have to depend upon US websites for information ( much of which is not applicable to Indian conditions and diseases); or upon their doctor ( who is often too busy to educate them !)

One of the major issues is that the importance of educating patients has still not become a pressing issue for doctors. Traditionally, Indian doctors have always been quite paternalistic; and most Indian patients are quite happy to follow the doctor's orders.

While it's true that times are changing, and that the younger generation of doctors is more willing to be open ad to invest time in discussing treatment options with their patients, another limitation has been the acute shortage of patient educational materials designed for India.

Another major issue has been the fact that there are so many regional languages in India - and many Indians are illiterate.

The good news is that this challenge is actually a great opportunity - and clever startups like PEAS India ( in which I am an angel investor) are now developing a library of patient educational DVDs , customised for India !

It's well known that most patients will google their symptoms and signs when they fall ill. Patients use the internet extensively to research their disease; to check on the treatment options available to them; to connect with other patients; and to select the right doctor.

However, if there so many patients are online, why don't more Indian doctors have their own websites ? Indian doctors are considered to be well-read; well-informed; and their clinical skills are usually excellent. Moreover, India is an IT powerhouse , which means one would logically expect that most Indian doctors would have their own website, which they could use to attract more patients; and to educate their existing patients.

While many Indian doctors now do have their own email address ( though many senior doctors still do not use email; or get their secretary to read and write their emails for them), most still do not have their own website because they do not see the need for this.

Senior doctors who have a flourishing practise without a website are quite happy to continue coasting along on their reputation. They do not think a website will add any value to their practise , and are not interested in exploring this new platform. Some are suspicious of these new-fangled fads; while others will actively criticise doctors who have websites, because they feel they are a form of advertising - something which is below their dignity !

Other doctors understand the value of having their own website, but because they are not computer-savvy, they are not sure how to go about getting one. They are worried that having a website is a very expensive option - and are not willing to invest the time and energy in creating one. They'd rather continue muddling along in the fashion to which they are accustomed - and they are quite contented getting patients through kickbacks and referrals because they cannot think out of the box.

Many doctors are employed by corporate hospitals; and they feel that the corporate hospital website provides enough of an online presence for them. Some doctors have had an unhappy experience with website companies in the past. They have burned their fingers badly, and are no longer willing to trust computer professionals any more. Others have done a half-hearted job ( using free websites offered to them by pharma companies) ;and because these did not result in any tangible benefits, they have jumped to the wrong conclusion that it's not worth creating a website because not enough Indian patients are online.

This is a major error on their part. Internet penetration is increasing by leaps and bounds in India - especially with the introduction of 3GH services and inexpensive smartphones. Doctors who do not have their own website will start losing patients to doctors who are online - and this gap will increase progressively over time !

If you are in practise, you cannot afford to be left behind - and this is especially true of the younger generation of doctors, who need to establish their practise and attract patients.

Rule Number 1 for any successful doctor is - go to where the patients are ! In the past, the patients were in hospitals, which is why hospital attachments were so actively sought after. Today, it's a completely different world - and the best place to reach out to patients is the online world !

Clever companies such as Plus91 ( in which I am an angel investor) have realised that there is a huge opportunity for a startup in India which specialises in providing websites for doctors only. They have married technological expertise with medical knowledge, to create a great portfolio of websites for Indian doctors. Since this is their only niche, they have a lot of expertise and experience in this space, in which they have become market leaders ! They can set up a customised website for a doctor ( with your own domain name) within 3 days ! You can check out their work at www.websitefordoctors.in !

This is a story about perseverance, courage but most of all a good understanding between a doctor and a patient.

After some difficult years including infertility treatments, despair and discouragement by infertility doctors (!), my husband and I decided we should take a sabbatical and rest for a while from all the disappointments of the past. We decided to travel to Asia and visit some wonderful countries.
After a few months however, my child wish was very strong again and we decided we should try one more time an IVF treatment.
The question was where? we had all these possibilities in all of these countries.
I decided to do a little research and I wrote to a dozen clinics in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India.
Some clinics did not respond at all (!) other were very short in their information. This was not the case with the clinic of Dr. Malpani, as a well-informed patient I could see the difference very clear with the other clinics. The whole protocol was send to me within a day, including the names of medications, the dosage, the procedures etc.
Among all this clinics the response of Dr.Malpani was the most elaborate and professional.

So we decided to go ahead with the treatment in India.
Once settled in, the treatment began. I never met a doctor that was more helpful then doctor Malpani, providing me with lots of information when asked, even including some scientific articles.
The follicle stimulation went well, the pick-up went well, and then of course the embryo transfer, for us a real all or nothing moment.
2 weeks later, on April the 12th I had my very first positive pregnancy test ever!!!! Nothing could surpass that moment until December the 19th when our baby-girl was born!!
As every birth is a miracle, I strongly believe my pregnancy is a perfect example of an incredible cooperation and understanding between a doctor an his patient.
Dr. Malpani has a very humane approach to his patients, providing them with all the information they ask for, listening very carefully and trying to meet their wishes as much as possible. Last but no least and he is funny too! :)
Professionalism and a very human approach, together with a lovely staff made this experience unforgettable.

For all the couples that have been struggling for years, please don't give up! It took us years to conceive, some dark days and months, but finally all of it was worthwhile as soon as you can hold your baby in your arms!

To Dr. Malpani and his lovely wife, please keep up the good work. Nothing is more important then to make a difference is someone's life.

God bless you.

A couple from the Netherlands

fanmailhome@gmail.com

I just stumbled across this excellent website on health in Marathi !

As far as Indian patients are concerned, there are 2 major problems with the internet as a source of health information.

1. Most of the material is in English.
2.Very little information is India-specific

It's great to see that doctors like Dr Ashtekar have taken the initiative to fill this huge gap ! Keep it up - and I just hope many other doctors will be inspired to follow in his foot-steps !

HELP is the world's largest free patient education library, located in Mumbai.

We are looking for Patient Information Officers, to help promote Information Therapy in India.

You will help to empower patients with information.

If you are interested in this exciting job which please email your resume to: malpani@vsnl.com !

I am an angel investor in PEAS, which makes patient educational videos for Indian patients in Indian languages - Hindi , Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam, and Bengali !

They now have an extensive library, which is growing weekly ! Because they use an animated format, they can get the message across to patients with low-literacy as well !

Thanks to the flexibility of the audio-visual media format, P.E.A.S™ offers both customers and potential users the benefits of enjoying highly engaging patient education series on multiple channels - whether for personal viewing, online viewing or group sessions.

You can watch many of their videos free online - for example the Angioplasty video !

I feel many Indian NGOs are doing some great work. Unfortunately, they are often strapped for cash because very few people know about their activities. This is why they are often not able to scale up their activities and they remain small, with limited impact.

There are many large-hearted Indians out there who would be happy to provide money to deserving NGOs. However, how do they find out about these ? And which ones are worth funding ?

NGOs need higher visibility and the best way to acquire this is through the internet. As a pilot project, I am going to award free websites to 10 suitable NGOs; and hope that this will help them to get additional visibility, so they can leverage their efforts.

If you run an NGO, or know of one, who you feel will benefit from having a web presence, please ask the Head of the NGO to send me an email.

I need to know basic stuff such as - What does your NGO do ? how do you plan to grow ? How will you make use of your website ?

We will pay a technology company to provide you with a comprehensive website which you will be able to update and run yourself.