We need to reduce the role of hospitals and doctors by 70 per cent to 80 per cent, which is possible only through health education, said Dr R Kumar, president of Society for Promotion of Ethical and Affordable Healthcare (SPEAK) at the India Health Conclave organised at PGI on Sunday.

Dr. Kumar, said, ‘’Patients often insist that a medical service provider must write a prescription or perform a test and not deliver a ‘lecture’ on health education. This mindset has contributed to the abuse of scanty resources. The medical system is also plagued by the lure of cash incentives from prescribing tests and procedures.’’

Chief guest Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal also underlined the need to reduce unnecessary monetary burden in patient care. He further added that in today’s time, patients need to be more informed about health, diseases, medicines, tests etc.

Many speakers emphasized on minimal surgical intervention. Dr. Neeraj Gupta, an orthopedic surgeon at GMCH-16, said, ‘’The need of the hour is to focus more on prevention and non-surgical management of osteoarthritis.’’ He laid emphasis on lifestyle modification, weight control, and regular exercise. He said, ‘’Don’t over-stuff yourself with food and live an unhurried and healthy lifestyle.’’ Ninety percent of cases of chronic heart diseases do not require stenting or surgery, said Dr. T S Metha, executive director, CT surgery, Fortis. He ruled that in many cases surgical interventions are carried out even though they are risky and unproductive. Doctors said patients often spend on services that don’t produce better health outcomes.