BANGALORE: Doctors should not only understand the pros and cons of subjecting people to high-tech investigations and surgeries, but also take their patients into confidence before recommending such tests.

A panel discussion at Bangalore Medical Hospital on "High tech medicare: boon or bane?" suggested to the medical fraternity to leave it to patients to make the choice of investigations. The doctors should, however, help patients understand what happens if a test is taken and otherwise.

Consumer activist Shakuntala Narasimhan said patients had the right to make their choice. She herself had undergone five surgeries without understanding their implications.

In one instance, a doctor was eager to use a new equipment on her.

When probed, the doctor only patted her and said, "Don't worry, you are in safe hands."

Others on the panel were A.C. Sreeram, physician; K.S. Dakshinamurthy, editorial consultant, The Hindu; P. Umapathy, hospital administrator; and Ashok Soota of Mind Tree. H.S.V. Murthy, medical practitioner, moderated the discussion. The BMC Alumni Association and BMC Development Trust organised the event.

Panellists and some in the audience felt that better doctor-patient relationship would help.

The participants appeared to be against following the western model where patients do not come in direct contact with doctors, but get prescriptions online.

On affordability of heath services, a doctor among the audience suggested that medical professionals should think about the 80 per cent of the population who could not afford high-tech healthcare.

Dr. Umapathy gave the example of Apollo OPEC Hospital in Raichur where the country's only successful public-private venture hospital was functioning effectively and the poor were getting hi-tech care. Other States were trying to emulate the example, he said.

The audience was divided on structuring treatment based on the patient's economic condition. If one doctor suggested that this had to be pursued, even if it meant keeping patients in hospitals for more number of days. But others said all patients should get hi-tech care because most people were going in for health insurance.

Dr. Sreeram said that hi-tech healthcare was taking away intuitive skills of the fraternity. Medicine was both an art and a science, he said. He was against unnecessary "master health check-ups".

Panellists and audience wanted the media to disseminate information on healthcare related claims only after verification.

Mr. Dakshinamurthy said that the medical fraternity could have a formal set up to entertain questions from the media about medical claims so that false reporting could be avoided.

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