Thank you all for the thoughtful comments and encouragement on this post!
I’ve lightly updated the piece — adding a few more glimpses into how clinics and doctors work in everyday life, and touching on the culturally unique features around payments. Thanks for reading, Jayshree
Loved your article Jayshree. I travelled all over India in the early seventies, worked at an Indian university in South Africa for 7 years. and your article reminded me of the empathy I experienced at a visit to a doctor. The reference to "The Compounder" is so interesting from a historical point of view, its precious.
Thanks Gary, apologies for a delayed response. Travel and teaching - what wonderful memories you must have of both countries. Thanks for acknowledging this capsule in time. I think in some family and old-time clinics, compounder is still in vogue, though the larger hospitals moved to US style administrative processes.
I recall when doctors still made house calls. In 1954, I was very ill with the measles. Had a high fever and a terrible nightmare of being chased by a tiger. The military doctor who had seen me during the day at the base hospital was worried enough to stop by in the evening to check on me. For a scared child of 6 it was very reassuring. Doubly so for my mother.
It sounds like India has a caring healthcare system. Ours seems to be hit or miss. Thanks for sharing.
That's a great story, Dale - yes, exactly. Reassurance is so valuable during illness. I like house calls! Helpful for seniors as well. India is a welfare state so a lot of the resources are geared to support the marginalized as well. It is a balance, and I will write in a new post on the business of healthcare and its drawbacks.
Jayshree: I so much enjoy your helloIndia posts. I have good friends that are from India, but alas they have all moved away. We spent so much time learning about each other's religion, life and politics. I really miss that. I am still in contact with my last to leave friend, We call intermittently to share news. Your missives mesh well with the things I have learned from them. Thank you.
Thanks Doug! I experimented with the new visual features of chatGPT, turned out ok. Yes, there is a whole range of them from $100-$10000 and higher depending on premiumness of care. Insurance is of course available for salaried and govt. employees, and some conditional public health insurance is offered to low-income groups. Worthy of a post, in a less lighter fashion - I shall attempt it soon!
Coming from a small-town physician's family and having a sister who was a surgeon, and having worked in the ophthalmology field, this post was first-rate. Loved it. Thank you for a glimpse of this little section of life as you know it!
Hi Mary, thank you so much for your kind words! It truly means a lot, especially coming from someone who knows this world firsthand. I’m so glad the post resonated with you — these glimpses of everyday life are evocative. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you @Jayshree Gururaj for a peek into India’s healthcare system!
I’m impressed there are crucial resources for lower-income individuals, like government clinics, charitable trusts, and pharmacy services. The online appointments and virtual consultations certainly simplify access to care for minor ailments, and are affordable! I like the convenience of so when you are ill and unable to travel you still receive prescriptions quickly. The idea of house calls from doctors reinforces the importance of personalized care. In India it’s great to see how diverse options has enhanced healthcare accessibility for everyone! Again, thank you for sharing!
Hello Charlotte! Yes, it is sometimes undervalued, but everyone tries to carry along the rest of the groups, and pay it forward. Sometimes, the scale of need is daunting, but people do what they can. For sure, the online booking, video consults (started during Covid) and home delivery of medicines is a gamechanger. There are issues, as you can imagine, but I'll cover those in a more formal post looking to the industry.
Thank you all for the thoughtful comments and encouragement on this post!
I’ve lightly updated the piece — adding a few more glimpses into how clinics and doctors work in everyday life, and touching on the culturally unique features around payments. Thanks for reading, Jayshree
Loved your article Jayshree. I travelled all over India in the early seventies, worked at an Indian university in South Africa for 7 years. and your article reminded me of the empathy I experienced at a visit to a doctor. The reference to "The Compounder" is so interesting from a historical point of view, its precious.
Thanks Gary, apologies for a delayed response. Travel and teaching - what wonderful memories you must have of both countries. Thanks for acknowledging this capsule in time. I think in some family and old-time clinics, compounder is still in vogue, though the larger hospitals moved to US style administrative processes.
I recall when doctors still made house calls. In 1954, I was very ill with the measles. Had a high fever and a terrible nightmare of being chased by a tiger. The military doctor who had seen me during the day at the base hospital was worried enough to stop by in the evening to check on me. For a scared child of 6 it was very reassuring. Doubly so for my mother.
It sounds like India has a caring healthcare system. Ours seems to be hit or miss. Thanks for sharing.
That's a great story, Dale - yes, exactly. Reassurance is so valuable during illness. I like house calls! Helpful for seniors as well. India is a welfare state so a lot of the resources are geared to support the marginalized as well. It is a balance, and I will write in a new post on the business of healthcare and its drawbacks.
Jayshree: I so much enjoy your helloIndia posts. I have good friends that are from India, but alas they have all moved away. We spent so much time learning about each other's religion, life and politics. I really miss that. I am still in contact with my last to leave friend, We call intermittently to share news. Your missives mesh well with the things I have learned from them. Thank you.
Gary, thanks so much. I am so appreciative of your feedback. Glad to hear the posts remind you of good friends, and good times.
Hi Jayshree, I like your illustrations. At what levels of care and for what procedures must one pay in advance? Does that vary a lot?
Thanks Doug! I experimented with the new visual features of chatGPT, turned out ok. Yes, there is a whole range of them from $100-$10000 and higher depending on premiumness of care. Insurance is of course available for salaried and govt. employees, and some conditional public health insurance is offered to low-income groups. Worthy of a post, in a less lighter fashion - I shall attempt it soon!
Thank you!
Coming from a small-town physician's family and having a sister who was a surgeon, and having worked in the ophthalmology field, this post was first-rate. Loved it. Thank you for a glimpse of this little section of life as you know it!
Hi Mary, thank you so much for your kind words! It truly means a lot, especially coming from someone who knows this world firsthand. I’m so glad the post resonated with you — these glimpses of everyday life are evocative. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Jayshree, you're welcome! I love your writing.
Thank you, I value your feedback immensely.
Thank you @Jayshree Gururaj for a peek into India’s healthcare system!
I’m impressed there are crucial resources for lower-income individuals, like government clinics, charitable trusts, and pharmacy services. The online appointments and virtual consultations certainly simplify access to care for minor ailments, and are affordable! I like the convenience of so when you are ill and unable to travel you still receive prescriptions quickly. The idea of house calls from doctors reinforces the importance of personalized care. In India it’s great to see how diverse options has enhanced healthcare accessibility for everyone! Again, thank you for sharing!
Hello Charlotte! Yes, it is sometimes undervalued, but everyone tries to carry along the rest of the groups, and pay it forward. Sometimes, the scale of need is daunting, but people do what they can. For sure, the online booking, video consults (started during Covid) and home delivery of medicines is a gamechanger. There are issues, as you can imagine, but I'll cover those in a more formal post looking to the industry.