Overview
Doctors and private practitioners includes a wide range of health care providers with varying qualifications and approaches. They are used by an increasing number of patients, including the very poor. In some areas, the majority of patients when they first become ill, seek out a private practitioner or traditional health practitioner.
There is often no clear dividing line between public and private sectors as many government doctors also have private practices.
Characteristics of doctors
Doctors often tend to show these characteristics, though there are many exceptions:
1. Much interest in cure, in hospitals, in hi-tech equipment, interesting cases, money and status.
2. Little interest in primary or community health – which they often consider to be dull or beneath their status.
3. Some interest in health programmes, either out of social concern, out of fear that successful health prevention will reduce their patient numbers or in hope that serious cases will be referred to them.
4. Many doctors, especially if hospital based, tend to be reactive to situations eg in curing an illness rather than proactive eg in trying to prevent illness.
In other words most doctors, unless converted to a community health approach, are more interested in medical care than in health care.
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Excerpt from setting up community Health programmes by Ted Lankester
We will usually have to follow two different aims which are often in conflict: to protect community members from inappropriate medical care, especially from an approach which leads to dependence; but to co-operate with doctors and private practitioners as far as we are able.
We can follow these guidelines:
1. Build personal relationships.
2. Explain who we are and what we are doing, making clear that our main aim is not primarily to treat patients but to improve the health of the community.
3. Never publicly criticise or speak out against other doctors or their practices.
4. Provide health education to local doctors and private practitioners. Most private practitioners have little chance for continuing medical education. From the day they qualify, most will receive information largely from the representatives of pharmaceutical companies, biased towards promoting their products. We can, therefore, invite practitioners to our staff training days, run local health courses or seminars, loan health books or journals and allow them access to the project library.
5. Include practitioners in our health programme.
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