Doctors dispensing medications: contemporary India and 19th century England.
In developing countries the widespread use of medications in ways that are unsafe and inappropriate is a threat to health and a waste of scarce resources. It is possible that doctors contribute to the problem when, as in rural India, the doctor earns a living by selling medications rather than by charging a consultation fee and writing a prescription; the incentive is to medicate irrespective of the diagnosis. In this article, doctor-patient roles and paying for the doctor's services in a South Indian town are described. Similarities between the town and 19th century England in regard to doctor-patient roles are noted and analyzed.
Kapil
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Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27514.
D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000191:economics; D004739:England; D005251:Fees, Medical; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D007194:India; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000266:history; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations