PatientSupport: Patient Information Offline

SEWA Charitable Foundation in collaboration with PatientIndia.com has taken up the mamoth project of making patient information on 'Drugs, Diseases and Doctors' available to every household of India. In India patient education services are almost non-existent. PatientIndia has started giving very valuable information through their website in a searchable manner. However, large portion of elderly population and households cannot be reached through net. In many cases English itself is a barrier. SEWA has started reaching out to them with printed patient education material.

We have started creating awareness about how to prevent incidence of various diseases and how to stop proliferation to others in case of falling sick. Most of the time patients do not know the do's and dont's associated with a disease or its treatment. Chemists are supposed to tell side effects of a medicine and guide patients to proper dosages and methods of administration. They do not. SEWA is doing as much as possible within its means.

The project is very big and we are not fully equipped to reach everywhere; but we have made a beginning. With the help of several kind hearted people and organisations we are covering the ground inch by inch. We hope someday our Government wakes up to this social problem. Our entire health care system is primarily dependent on patients' money for its survival as proper health insurance (not just hospitalisation insurance) is non-existent. Still the patient does not get his due service and is always at the mercy of health care service providers. At the end of the day 'Patient must be the king'.

If you are interested in making India a patient-friendly country please join hands with us. You can help in many ways. Let us work towards leaving behind a fairer health care system for our children. To start with please mail your suggestions to us.