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Healthcare system and its provision in India is evolving rapidly. Though some of the private institutions boast of state of the art equipment and facilities, it is only available to the very privileged... For the majority of the middle class, accessing this so called 'state of the art facilities' only means parting with their ancestral home or land or wife's jewellery!!!

I donot intend to blame these hospitals. Let us face it, they haven't invested millions to just run a charity. The managers would look at it purely as a business enterprise. And rightly so!!! Also, if not for some of these private institutions, we would still be talking of DPL rather than FAST(see other forums in this site!!!). Being very much a business model, it is hardly surprising that the concerned specialists or managers guard their territories...

At what point does self service stop and philanthropy start??

Why is it not then that the government invest more in at least the teaching hospitals? Or is it that the vested interests really donot want this to happen? It is anyone's guess!!!

I donot think for once that emergency medicine is all about 'putting in tubes and lines' or doing fancy procedures. Rather than take a cavalier approach, I guess one has to first first build good working relationships with other specialities. Meaningful, time critical interventions have to be incorporated in the departmental/hospital guidelines. I guess this has to come from the hospital big-wigs... Having a very strong emphasis on training and tight clinical governance, one could build a very strong department.

Let us remember that our specialty is still at its infancy in our country. Things would evolve... before that we need to constantly prove our credibility to other specialities, patients and more importantly ourselves.... The future is only bright!!!