Carethics

Are scan-makers scamsters?? We have been dealing with the question for ages now. Or at least we can say the time GE and other manufacturers made it necessary for all the healthcare providers to have the equipment. Here the whole deal is about doctors, labs and hospitals…..

Some facts first: CT came into being in 1970s when Beatle boys gave away the profit of their album, Fab Four, to fund the research for first CT scan machine. X rays were being used prior to that.

Now, Scan is the mantra…if you want to diagnose for a disease, CT scan is the first thing the doctors will ask you to do. But the question always remains, do we need so many of them? Especially when US is moving ahead of it and reporting that there are indications that radiations from CT scan could lead to cancer in later stages.

There is another counter point, 50% of the sudden deaths in the country are considered to be due to undiagnosed diseases. Doctors believe it could help patients with hypertension, diabetes, or any heart diseases. India is considered to be heart disease patients capital of the world with almost 2 million deaths per year and the numbers are only increasing.

Experts even say that patients also should not undergo more than one scan a year. What do you say?