For past few days, I’ve been blasted with news articles dropping in my email inbox, about allegedly corrupt medical practices affecting patient’s health and finances. Some of the articles were indeed interesting reads. With a disclaimer of not being sure about the authenticity of their content, I share them here for your quick review-
Big Pharma is America’s new mafia-
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/21/big-pharma-is-america-s-new-mafia.html
How pharma is taking you for a ride?
http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/02/how-pharma-is-taking-you-for-a-ride/
The drug that is bankrupting America-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-sachs/the-drug-that-is-bankrupt_b_6692340.html
Why are so many toddlers taking Psychiatric drugs ?
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/02/19/why-are-so-many-toddlers-taking-psychiatric-drugs/
These articles describe Pharmaceutical industry’s influence on doctor’s prescribing habits; fraud’s in clinical drug trials; falsified data published in prestigious medical journals and submitted to FDA etc. Worse still the published data doesn’t get corrected after true facts are known; nobody ever finds out which data is bogus, which experiments are/were tainted and which drugs might be on the market under false pretenses.
Over the years, many prescription drugs have been recalled after serious side effects and even deaths were reported in patient population who consumed those drugs.
This is deeply troubling !
Patients go to the doctor with a hope that they would get the best of medical advice they deserve and be cured of their ailments. Instead they get conned, duped, misguided. I’m sure this is not the case with all patients or all doctors, but still, my question is- Why should a medical doctor misguide patients or prescribe unnecessary medicines to patients?
This is absolutely unacceptable !
But there is little an individual patient can do to change this alleged doctor- fraud hoopla, especially at the time he/she are ailing. At that time their first concern is to get well. I do realize that if a person ails, they need doctors and medicines, but gone are the days when you could trust your doctors, hospitals and medical care advisors to decide for you. The practical scene today is, YOU 'alone' are responsible for your life and health.
That said, I’ve two quick questions-
Think about it- When you're job hunting, you research about the company (or potential employer). When companies hire employees, they do a thorough background check. So, when you choose a doctor, should you not do a background check of your doctor (along with clinic, hospital, drugs and the company that makes them)?
Most certainly the answer is affirmative !
To be continued in Part 2 …
Part 2 describes few ways, one can find background information about a doctor, clinic, hospital, medicines and pharmaceutical company that make them.
Disclaimer- In addition to Terms and Conditions of this website, readers are advised to please note that, the information contained in this article is NOT a substitute for medical advice. It is intended to empower general public to understand the pharmaceutical world and consider ideas and alternatives while discussing their specific health scenario with medical and pharmaceutical professionals. Please discuss your specific scenario with a qualified Medical Doctor and ONLY follow health advice given by a qualified medical professional. Also, please note that each country has its own health care related regulation(s), readers are therefore expected to over-ride any information presented here to adhere to rules of their land.
Big Pharma is America’s new mafia-
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/21/big-pharma-is-america-s-new-mafia.html
How pharma is taking you for a ride?
http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/02/how-pharma-is-taking-you-for-a-ride/
The drug that is bankrupting America-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-sachs/the-drug-that-is-bankrupt_b_6692340.html
Why are so many toddlers taking Psychiatric drugs ?
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/02/19/why-are-so-many-toddlers-taking-psychiatric-drugs/
These articles describe Pharmaceutical industry’s influence on doctor’s prescribing habits; fraud’s in clinical drug trials; falsified data published in prestigious medical journals and submitted to FDA etc. Worse still the published data doesn’t get corrected after true facts are known; nobody ever finds out which data is bogus, which experiments are/were tainted and which drugs might be on the market under false pretenses.
Over the years, many prescription drugs have been recalled after serious side effects and even deaths were reported in patient population who consumed those drugs.
This is deeply troubling !
Patients go to the doctor with a hope that they would get the best of medical advice they deserve and be cured of their ailments. Instead they get conned, duped, misguided. I’m sure this is not the case with all patients or all doctors, but still, my question is- Why should a medical doctor misguide patients or prescribe unnecessary medicines to patients?
This is absolutely unacceptable !
But there is little an individual patient can do to change this alleged doctor- fraud hoopla, especially at the time he/she are ailing. At that time their first concern is to get well. I do realize that if a person ails, they need doctors and medicines, but gone are the days when you could trust your doctors, hospitals and medical care advisors to decide for you. The practical scene today is, YOU 'alone' are responsible for your life and health.
That said, I’ve two quick questions-
- Are you choosing your doctor correctly?
- Are you choosing your prescription/ OTC medicines correctly?
Think about it- When you're job hunting, you research about the company (or potential employer). When companies hire employees, they do a thorough background check. So, when you choose a doctor, should you not do a background check of your doctor (along with clinic, hospital, drugs and the company that makes them)?
Most certainly the answer is affirmative !
To be continued in Part 2 …
Part 2 describes few ways, one can find background information about a doctor, clinic, hospital, medicines and pharmaceutical company that make them.
Disclaimer- In addition to Terms and Conditions of this website, readers are advised to please note that, the information contained in this article is NOT a substitute for medical advice. It is intended to empower general public to understand the pharmaceutical world and consider ideas and alternatives while discussing their specific health scenario with medical and pharmaceutical professionals. Please discuss your specific scenario with a qualified Medical Doctor and ONLY follow health advice given by a qualified medical professional. Also, please note that each country has its own health care related regulation(s), readers are therefore expected to over-ride any information presented here to adhere to rules of their land.
#Healthcare #Dontsuccumbtomedicalfrauds
