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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline DECEMBER 03, 2021 | The Indian Eye 31

doCTor’s order

Prevention is Better than Cure:

The significance of Your annual Physical exam

DR. ANuPAMA GOTIMuKulA
to disappear. As telehealth and dig- How can we make this happen
DR. JOSEPH M. CHAlIl ital medicine options have contin-
ued to increase in use, particularly in an affordable way using dig-
dvika was in her late forties. during the pandemic, the idea of a ital technology platforms like
Despite feeling tired and traditional physical exam has come
anoting some abnormal pains under greater scrutiny. A combina- Telehealth? india being a lead-
during her monthly cycle, she de- tion physical exam and telehealth er in digital technology- this
clined to go to the doctor. The cost of might be the way of the future in
traveling to the doctor was expensive keeping our nation healthy. can be implemented more ef-
and she didn’t have the extra funds The annual physical exam is part ficiently and make healthcare
or time to take a day off work for the of the larger discussion about prima-
trip. Eventually, she started feeling so ry care and whether it is necessary. more accessible to common
bad that working was almost impos- In the U.S., India, and other coun- man especially in rural areas
sible. Finally, she went to the doctor, tries around the world, medicine has
only to find out that she had an ad- become the way you manage disease, across the nation.
vanced stage of cervical cancer. not prevent it. Primary care, on the
other hand, is a way to prevent dis- American Association of Physi-
While we would all wish that her and managing them is a lot more ef- ease by talking with patients about cians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the
fective than managing and treating their potential health risks and giv- largest ethnic physician organiza-
story was rare, the truth is that its complications. ing them practical advice on how to tion in the United states, represent-
undiagnosed cancer happens In the United States, the U.S. care for their health, while consider- ing over 100,000 Indian American
Preventive Services Task Force is ing their unique lifestyle challenges. Physicians, has initiated preventive
frequently in india. advanced an independent, volunteer panel of While telemedicine does of- healthcare screenings in 75 villages
stages of cancer are less likely national experts in disease preven- fer a way for physicians to connect to understand the concept of pre-
tion and evidence-based medicine.
ventive screenings help to diagnose
with their patients in a cost-effective
to be cured and have a great- The Task Force works to improve manner, there is something to be any silent diseases which are caus-
er chance of relapse. in stage the health of people nationwide by said for having a patient in front of ing premature deaths from Coro-
making evidence-based recommen- you, where you can physically exam- nary heart disease and cancers like
one, for instance, the cure rate dations about clinical preventive ser- ine them. When a patient disagrees Breast cancer, cervical cancer which
is around 85% but that number vices. “The Prevention TaskForce” with their doctor, for instance, hav- are preventable if diagnosed early
application assists primary care ing a physical exam can give you through these annual screenings as
falls dramatically for those in clinicians to identify the screening, data that informs the discussion and mentioned above.
stage 3. Cancer patients who counseling, and preventive medica- could be helpful in getting the pa- To shift our healthcare from be-
tion services that are appropriate for tient on board with the treatment ing disease and treatment centered,
are diagnosed with stage 4 their patients. Government of India options available. we need to elevate the value of pri-
A patient who might be looking
cancer are not likely to survive could implement a similar project for antibiotics to treat a respiratory mary care, particularly the annual
and use the lessons learned in the
physical exam and recognize how
for more than five years. United States and other countries. infection might feel better about not critical this is to having a healthy na-
If all patients in India have ac- needing medication when they know tion and a healthier world.
The World Health Organization cess to complimentary annual pre- that their lungs are clear, and their With one of the largest popu-
says that cancer is diagnosed in more ventive physical exam, including rou- oxygen saturation levels are within lations in the World, India could
than 14 million people worldwide tine lab tests and cancer screenings, normal range. lead the World in providing quality
annually and ends up killing approx- this will increase the chances of find- Telehealth does offer a means health care to all its citizens and the
imately 8.8 million. What is most ing cancer and deadly diseases earli- for doctors to understand the home recent COVID-19 vaccination drive
shocking is that two-thirds of these er and will enhance the likelihood of environment of their patients and is a great example. The biggest de-
deaths are in low-middle income a cure. The cost to the taxpayers of give them the opportunity to con- mocracy in the World needs urgent
countries where diagnosis is found India will eventually be far less as we nect more frequently with their pa- Investment in the health of all its cit-
to be inadequate. prevent long term complications of tients throughout the year. izens and reform the public health-
Indian system of modern med- Cancer and Chronic diseases. End stage renal diseases can be care system.
icine does not promote an annual For the individual patient who is prevented by preventing or manag- Dr. Anupama Gotimukula is
preventive physical exam for pa- covering the costs of seeing a doctor, ing health conditions that cause kid- the President of American Associ-
tients even though several private the idea of annual physical examina- ney damage, such as diabetes and ation of Physicians of Indian Ori-
hospitals promote comprehensive tion when they feel fine seems like a high blood pressure The costs for gin (AAPI). *Prof. (Dr.) Joseph M.
executive checkups for the wealthy. waste of financial resources. As has cancer treatments increase dramati- Chalil is an Adjunct Professor &
Its time to change that. Identifying become the case in countries around cally at later stages, as your medical Chair of the Complex Health Systems
chronic diseases like Diabetes, Hy- the world, primary care and annual team deals with the cancer and its advisory board at Nova Southeast-
pertension, and heart diseases early physical examinations are beginning side effects. ern University’s School of Business.

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