Disease specific helplines

A DOCTOR'S prescription now joins the long list of things you can ask for over the phone. At least three new disease-specific helplines have been introduced within the span of this week.

The helplines come on the heels of on-call doctor services that offered palliative cures to callers but the new offerings are tailormade to address specific problems instead of generic advice.

While a new cardiac care helpline manned by doctors from Asian Heart Hospital is set to launch on Monday, the preventive oncology department of Tata Memorial Hospital will launch a helpline for smokers in the coming fortnight. "We are in talks with MTNL to secure a number. The helpline isn't only for smokers but also for non-smokers suffering from second-hand smoke. The helpline will direct callers to facilities that will enable treatment and counseling. It's all part of an initiative between us and the BMC to ensure a smoke-free Mumbai," said Dr Surendra Shastri of Tata Memorial Hospital. Tobacco-related illnesses include lung, mouth and neck cancer and prolonged use increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Doctors supporting influenza have jumped on to the bandwagon too. "More than a lakh people have died due to influenza in the last century. Most people view it as a small and innocuous disease but there are new strains and even fatal ones, like Avian Flu, that are developing everyday," said Dr A K Prasad, chair of the Influenza Foundation of India.

However as any helpline operator will tell you, the need to define clear goals for the services is necessary. After five days of launching a flu helpline in Delhi and being bombarded with queries, the service has been temporarily halted and plans to introduce the same in Mumbai stalled, in order for doctors to figure out how to streamline queries. "The initial response is overwhelming but we need to figure out how to address the problems. We hopefully should be up and running full time by the end of March."

Local doctors however feel that while technology has crept up on them, nothing will replace the personal visit.

"A little knowledge is dangerous. Without physically examining the patients, the chances of error either in diagnosis or prescription are high. Even in the smallest cases, I would prefer to see the patient personally because only a doctor can correctly diagnose symptoms," said Dr Chandrakant Kenia, former president of the General Practitioners Association in Mumbai.