ANNUAL WORK REPORT FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN APRIL 2011-MARCH 2012

CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC, B J WADIA HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN, MUMBAI

ANNUAL WORK REPORT FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN APRIL 2011-MARCH 2012

GENERAL INFORMATION

The CGC offered Part-time diagnostic and medical services for children with behavioural, emotional and academic problems.  We offered outpatient psychiatric consultations and IQ testing.

STAFF

1.       DR VANI KULHALLI, PSYCHIATRIST. Designated as ‘Assistant Honorary Consultant’

2.       MRS APARNA RAHALKAR, Clinical Psychologist. Designated as visiting Psychologist.

3.       NURSING STAFF- Deputed from Pediatric OP.

TIMINGS

MONDAYS and THURSDAYS- 9.30 am to 2 PM

CHANGES SINCE PREVIOUS YEAR

No patients were referred for counselling to Divya Kapadia, as per expressed request of Dept of Social Work.

PROGRAMS

1.       ‘Communicating Bad News’- A workshop for post graduate trainees in paediatrics- 11-10-2012 (World Mental Health Day)

2.       ‘Childhood depression’-Seminar for post graduate trainees in psychology, counselling and social work. 22-01-2012

3.       ‘Normal Childhood’- Lecture for students of alternative streams of medicine- February 2012

CONSULTATIONS

1.       PSYCHIATRIC (OUTPATIENT)- 576 (Five hundred and seventy-six)

2.       IQ TESTS- 326 (Three hundred and twenty-six)

Signed-

Dr Vani Kulhalli

STATISTICS april 2010-mar 2011

CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC , B J WADIA HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN, PAREL , MUMBAI
	*DATA FROM APRIL 2010 To MARCH 2011
	MONTH	NEW (Consultations)	OLD	TOTAL
4	APRIL	1	27	28
5	MAY	2	23	25
6	JUNE	3	48	51
7	JULY	6	47	53
8	AUGUST	4	49	53
9	SEPTEMBER	5	43	48
10	OCTOBER	1	49	50
11	NOVEMBER	8	68	76
12	DECEMBER	2	49	51
1	JANUARY	4	37	41
2	FEBRUARY	3	24	27
3	MARCH	0	41	41
	TOTAL	39	505	544
*Compiled by nursing staff

WHO PAYS THE DOCTOR?

Following are some of the beautiful reasons people give to evade payment of doctor's professional charges:


1. I am very poor, so I cannot afford you
2. I am a celebrity (and anyway have done you a favour by consulting you)
3. I dont agree with the philosophy of paying money for such a 'sacred' service
4. I work in a Government office, so I am entitled to everything and am deluded that I am being underpaid (inspite of sixth pay)
5. I am a CEO and I expect to be served
6. I am a senior citizen and would rather pay the SOTC to visit rare places on earth, so I dont have money to pay you
7. I am your relative
8. I am a doctor myself
9. I am a doctor's relative
10. I am a friend's friend
11. I am like your family member
12. I am a holy man/ astrologer/ spiritual person
13. I am your neighbour
14. I just wanted to talk to you, and find out some things. Does it amount to a consultation?
15.It will not matter to you if one person does not pay you
16. I forgot my purse
17 I went to all the faith healers/ babas/ etc and now I am broke and in a serious condition. It is your legal and moral duty to treat me, even if I cant pay you
18. I was among the first few patients you treated
19. I was your school teacher/ music teacher/ art teacher/ etc
20. You failed to save the patient, so why should we pay you?
21. Please dont bother me, ask the insurance company/ my employer/ etc to pay the bills
22. I was not satisfied with your consultation as you merely talked to me and actually did nothing (to a psychiatrist-what else should we do, actually?)
23. You delivered a female child, we wanted a male child (to a obstetrician)
24. I will surely come back and pay you (a patient caught leaving hospital secretly)

All others pay the doctor.
And also pay for the above.
As doctors have to make up for the costs of working for all these non-paying characters, the fees of paying patients get hiked.

GENDER SENSITIVE TRAINING

A recent report about the number of 'working' MBBS doctors was found to be much lower than the number of rgistered doctors. In case of nurses, it was found that 63% were not working currently. During my interactions with various doctors' organisations I find that a significant number of women doctors are not working actively in their professional capacities. This is a worldwide phenomenon, and the reasons are variable.

One of the reasons,in India, could be that the training is gender insensitive. While the doctors are experts in theory of disease and medicine, their training about the practice of medicine is completely hopeless. Take the very simple example of the type of dress a doctor wears to work-this has more more significant implications for female doctors than for male doctors. There is no discussion regarding personal safety during practice-a very significant concern for women doctors in most parts of India.

Women enterpreneurs receive different types of encourgement in terms of training in enterprise management, cheaper loans, etc. But women doctors (for that matter any women with professional qualifications) are barred from these schemes.

The lack of good quality, adequate and round-the-clock childcare facility is the most difficult and common problem that women healthcare professionals face. Each female doctor or nurse is left to her own means to 'figure it out' once she becomes a mother.

Our training does not take timely and realistic view of these challenges. No wonder most women quit. By the time their children grow up, they are out of touch and have lost the confidence to work.

To counter this problem, I feel the training program should have a module on gender issues in medicine. Government needs to adjust the rules to allow women to re-enter the profession. Maybe they can have a refresher course and re-entry exam? All hospitals should have large-capacity daycare centres for children upto 14 years of age.

CUT-PRACTICE- MCI-REPLY-28-3-2012

Nature of Information required

In the last ten years, that is during the period from January 2002 to December 2011, regarding ‘cut-practice’ by which I mean the system of a doctor giving commission  to another doctor for the ‘service’ of referring patients:

1.      Against how many doctors has the Medical Council of India (MCI) received complaints for doing cut-practice? I want to know the total numbers including those giving as well as those receiving cuts.

2.      How many doctors suspected of doing cut-practice were investigated by MCI?

3.      In case the allegation of cut-practice against any doctor was proved to be true, what was the punishment/ penalty imposed on such a doctor?

4.      Did the MCI receive any complaints that a hospital/ nursing home/ diagnostic centre or such other commercial establishment rendering medical services, was involved in cut-practice? If yes, how many complaints were received?

5.      How many complaints of cut-practice against commercial medical establishments were investigated by the MCI?

6.      In case any commercial medical establishment was found to be engaging in cut-practice, what was the punishment/ penalty imposed?

7.      Has there been any request to Medical council of India to designate cut-practice as an illegal activity tantamount to corruption?

8.      Has there been any plan/ proposal of the MCI to declare cut-practice as a form of corruption?

REPLY Dated-28-3-2012

Total number of complaints, that is, 588 against doctors working in private practice/ nursing homes/ private hospital/ Govt. hospital during January 2011 to March 2012 has been received by council. It is further to state that no complaint has been received for doing cut-practice.

MCI has prescribed the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, etiquette and Ethics ) Regulations, 2002 which is available on website www.mciindia.org. The Council does not maintain the data in the manner in which it is sought for.

It is further stated that the queries are in the nature of eliciting opinion and therefore, it does not constitute information as defined under u/s(f) of the RTI Act 2005.

Signed

Dr Davinder Kumar

Joint Secretary and PIO

CUT-PRACTICE- RTI APPLICATION TO MMC IN FEB2012

Nature of Information required

In the last ten years, that is during the period from January 2002 to December 2011, regarding ‘cut-practice’ by which I mean the system of a doctor giving commission  to another doctor for the ‘service’ of referring patients:

1.      Against how many doctors has the MMC received complaints for doing cut-practice? I want to know the total numbers including those giving as well as those receiving cuts.

2.      How many doctors suspected of doing cut-practice were investigated by MMC?

3.      In case the allegation of cut-practice against any doctor was proved to be true, what was the punishment/ penalty imposed on such a doctor?

4.      Did the MMC receive any complaints that a hospital/ nursing home/ diagnostic centre or such other commercial establishment rendering medical services, was involved in cut-practice? If yes, how many complaints were received?

5.      How many complaints of cut-practice against commercial medical establishments were investigated by the MMC?

6.      In case any commercial medical establishment was found to be engaging in cut-practice, what was the punishment/ penalty imposed?

7.      Has there been any request to MMC to designate cut-practice as an illegal activity tantamount to corruption?

8.      Has there been any plan/ proposal of the MMC to declare cut-practice as a form of corruption?

CUT-PRACTICE- REPLY FROM MAHARASHTRA MEDICAL COUNCIL

RTI Query filed in February 2012, answer received in same month
Ref no-MMC/ RTI/ 04450/ 2012/ 2543
Answers received were
1. As of date MMC has not received any complaint for doing cut-practice, against any individual doctors
2. & 3. Not applicable
4. As of date MMC has not received any complaint against any hospital/ nursing home/ diagnostic centre
5,6,7. Not applicable
8. No proposal pertaining to cut-practice is tabled in MMC.

Signed-Dr Ramesh Dahigaonkar, Information Officer/ Registrar, MMC