Medi-Help Helpline Services, the just launched 24-hour helpline for the middle and working class families might not receive as much response and co-operation from medical consultants as organizers of the scheme expect.
The helpline that seems to be the first such initiative in the city, plans to enroll consultants (specialists), nursing home owners and diagnostic centre owners from Mumbai, Navi-Mumbai and Thane. The consultants would be required to provide their services at a subsidized rate ranging anywhere from 20-40 per cent, all at the discretion of the organizers.
To avail of the services, one would have to call the helpline number 25530553 and tell of the disease and the consultant needed to avail the services. The attendants on duty would immediately give you a list of consultants from where you could avail the specialty services and at subsidized rates.
Though the scheme is social in nature, Dr R K Jaiswal, advisor and initiator of the help-line says it won't be charitable as it would be totally self-funded (by the Jaiswal family) and that it won't be open to seeking donations and funds. Further, Dr Jaiswal had even approached authorities for registration of the helpline, but was assured that he need not do it as it was for a social cause and as it did not involve any transaction of goods.
"The sole purpose of coming out with the scheme was to make secondary and tertiary care available to the middle and lower middle class who most of the time seek treatment at only the primary referral centres. While we won't be charging any premium or charges for our services, we would be requesting consultants (only specialists, not general practitioners) to register with the scheme and dole out their services for sake of the society. Already, close to 75 consultants have enrolled with us and we would be reaching out to the others in the course of time," he affirmed.
While the helpline seems to be for a just cause, most consultants are unaware of the new scheme and of the few who know are cynical over committing to it. Like Dr Sudha Sheth, president-elect of Association of Medical Consultants, who was among the first in South Mumbai to receive the invitation form and after going through the contents, wanted to arrive at a consensus over its reliability.
"While the cause seems motivating, it might not be apt on part of the organizers to just invite any consultant and then force them to levy a discount of nearly 20-40 per cent and at their own will. All consultants might not be willing to induce such huge discounts in the name of charity," she maintained.
Apart from the social cause aspect, reliability on part of the organizers should be another facet that needs to be ascertained as Dr Parvez Sheikh clarifies. "Though the prospectus seems intriguing, it would be wise to establish the facts like registration, reliability, efficacy, etc. If all seems to be in place, on a personal front I won't hesitate in opting for the scheme," he noted.
The scheme, which is a new phenomenon in the city, would function firstly by providing the patients with a reference number before directing them to a specialist. Having done that, one representative from the helpline would be sent on a personal visit to check the condition of the patient and would revisit till the patient is discharged. In extreme cases the representative might even demand more discount if the financial situation of the patient so demands.
These demands have made some consultants sit and take note of the issues involved. Accordingly they would be taking up the cause at their regular meetings amidst the members. As Dr Lalit Kapoor, chairman, medico-legal cell of the AMC sums up by saying, "The scheme has definitely caught our attention and as requested by the committee, we would be studying the case with close introspection before actually committing ourselves to the deed."