To create awareness about an unethical practice adopted in Indian diagnostic industry, LabsAdvisor (www.labsadvisor.com), an online marketplace for diagnostics labs, has partnered with leading Mahak-Delhi Theatre group as part of its CSR outreach program. The objective of the street play wasto sensitize people about the corrupt medical practices prevalent in the Indian diagnostic industry. The street play group organized the awareness campaign through gripping narratives on stage.The play was witnessed with strong andlive audience.
A patient’s expenditure on diagnostic tests is a significant part of the overall healthcare spend. In the healthcare sector, the most overlooked unethical practice is the referral system where a patient is referred to a particular lab by the physician. The physician gets a cut from the lab which leads to not only higher costs for the patients but perhaps unnecessary testing in many cases. This menace, which came to light, is known to people. But people have not questioned these practices as doctors in India are considered demi-Gods, whose word about patients’ treatment is final. When a doctor prescribes a diagnostic test, the patient diligently follows the orders and goes to the particular center where the doctor has asked him or her to go. If a patient goes to carry out a test at another diagnostic center, the results are not considered valid and the patient is asked to repeat the test at a specific diagnostic center, from where a physician gets a share of the profit. This is purely business as doctors who have asked to go to a particular diagnostic center get a share of the profit. Diagnostic centers charge exorbitant fees in order to provide a share of profit (in crude language “Commission”) to the doctor who has referred.
In the words of Ashish Bhatia, Founder & CEO – LabsAdvisor “NukkadNataks’ (street plays) is a crucial step in the right direction. It is important because it can bring out dimensions that builds a direct connect with people. He further added, “Communicating social message through street plays will have a greater impact. Moreover, it is our commitment to bring this understanding to the people of India so that people while undertaking test are aware of the cost implications.”
The street play was held at JantarMantar, Connaught Place. The Mahak-Delhi theatre group had earlier conducted various social awareness campaigns.
About LabsAdvisor
LabsAdvisor is an online marketplace for diagnostic labs and plays the role of an honest intermediary in the unorganized diagnostic industry in India.Founded in February 2015, the start-up offers diagnostic test-booking and online report storage services to its users. The objective is to bring transparency in the Indian diagnostic industry in India. Highly unorganized diagnostic sector with lack of transparency on quality as well as pricing led to the start of LabsAdvisor (www.labsadvisor.com)
LabsAdvisor has been founded by two former management consultants, Ashish Bhatia and Rahul Shukla. Both of them had varied years of experience working in different industries across Europe, US and India. Ashish is an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus while Rahul is an IIT-Delhi graduate.