A vegetable vendor, Ghanshyam from a rural area of Sitapur with health aliments, relies on the Government health centre in his village. He is aware of his deteriorating health but prefers to visit the facility only when his condition becomes unbearable.
Irrespective of his rare visits, he was optimally treated by Dr Ram, in-charge of the PHC and was suggested further tests to confirm the prognosis. Ghanshyam, being ignorant of his condition, hoped that this ‘temporary’ alignment would go away with traditional home remedies. And, thus he ignored the tests, medicines and routine follow-up requests suggested by his primary doctor.
After a few days, when he got severely ill, he was admitted to a Government Medical College in his district. When his wife was asked about his condition and related healthcare records, sadly she didn’t have any. With no previous history and medication data, the doctors started their protocol procedure followed by tests one by one.
This led to,
– Delayed diagnosis and treatment resulting in deterioration of health.
– Time, Energy and Resources spent by Ghyansham and his family while travelling to GMC.
– Prolonged days of pain and illness.
After running all the tests, doctors concluded the diagnosis, which turned out to be a condition due to a simple chronic disease.
If only, Ghanshyam had taken his primary doctor’s treatment seriously, he and his family would have avoided this unfortunate event and contained the disease in its initial days.
If only, Dr. Ram had a health tech platform which would keep consistent reminders of appointments, and treatment for his patients, his patients would have been better literate about their health.
Like Ghanshyam, several other examples are living in every corner of India and facing the consequences of ignoring health.
Low health literacy levels can negatively impact an individual’s ability to navigate the healthcare system, manage chronic diseases, follow a healthy diet, and monitor medication.
Don’t be like Ghansham, be responsive to your doctor’s treatment.
Don’t be like Dr Ram, be responsible for your patient’s adherence to your treatment.
Be a part of our mission to strengthen the health literacy rate in India. Join us today!
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