Medico Friend Circle Brochure

Item

Title: Medico Friend Circle Brochure
extracted text: SDA-RF-AT-3.19

medico
friend
circle

A NATIONWIDE PLATFORM OF

SECULAR, PLURALIST, AND

PRO-PEOPLE, PRO-POOR HEALTH

PRACTITIONERS, SCIENTISTSAND

SOCIAL ACTIVISTS

• HISTORY
The medico friend circle (infc) is a nationwide
platform of secular, pluralist, and pro-poor
health practitioners, scientists and social activists
interested in the health problems of the people of
India. It was set up in 1974 as a response to people’s
general disenchantment with the educational
system and the developmental paradigm that
the country was following. Since then, mfc has
critically analyzed the existing system to evolve a
humane approach towards health care.

• PERSPECTIVE

Health care in India today is not geared towards
the needs of most people, particularly the poor
and the rural segments of our society. Since the
health care system is a part of the overall social
system, the fundamental changes necessary to
make it relevant to most people will occur only as
part of a larger social transformation, mfc seeks
to build a nationwide movement committed to
this philosophy and this goal, based on inclusive
debate, dialogue, sharing of experiences and
towards action on issues of common concern.

mfc on the existing health care system in Lidia
Though there has been a rapid growth
in government health care services after
independence, the private sector is increasingly
becoming the major provider of medical care in
India. Like any other commodity, private medical
care is accessible only to those who have the money
to pay. It is governed by the personal interests
of the medical profession and the drug industry,
which leads to several kinds of malpractice and
harm to consumers.

mfc believes that health care must be available
to all people irrespective of their ability to
pay. It should be guided by the needs of
our people and not by commercial interests.

This requires strengthening of public health
services, regulation and alignment with
people’s needs.

Icdical practitioners are concentrated in cities
nd towns because people here have greater
purchasing power than those in rural areas. Also,
medical professionals tend to come from upper
Hass and caste backgrounds and want services and
infrastructures often lacking in rural areas. This
irowding of doctors in urban areas is also partly
responsible for an excess of specialists which
n turn has reduced the general physician Lo a
sough and cold’ doctor. Moreover, hospital-based
training by westernised and urban-orienled
jpecialists produces graduates conditioned to
irban and hospital practice. Therefore, even
ifler a prolonged and expensive medical training
uibsidised by the government, medical graduates
ire not capable of appropriately responding t-o
Hie needs of people in rural areas and urban
Hums.

mfc attempts to work towards a pattern of
medical and health care, supported by the
appropriate medical education, which will
place emphasis on the needs of those in rural
areas and in urban slums, where most people
live.
i. number of innovative field experiments have
Inown that many common health problems in
India can be taken care of by community-based
real th workers if they receive limited but good
Duality training and adequate support from the
community and the health system. A health
aare system based on such health workers and
mpported by referral services of doctors is
uore appropriate for a developing country like
tndia. Such a system will also demystify medical
mowledge, making it more accessible to people to
cd partners for health.

mfc works towards popularisation and
demystification of medical science and the
establishment of a health care system in which
all categories of health professionals are
regarded as equal members of a democratically
functioning team with the community at the
core.
The health care industry today requires a growing
market for drugs and medical therapies and this
is partly responsible for medical practice being
reduced to curative services. This denigrates the
primary role of social and other measures that
prevent illness and promote good health. Medical
interventions such as drugs, surgery and even
vaccines have contributed only marginally to the
improvement in people's health.

While we recognize the importance of curative
technology in saving people’s lives, alleviating
suffering or preventing disability, we stress
/the primary role of preventive, promotive and
social measures to solve health problems on a
societal level, and a facilitating environment
to put these into practice.
The government health sector is not commercial,
and primary health centre (PHC) doctors are
supposed to emphasise preventive medicine.
However, a large part of the resources of the
PHC is spent on "family planning programmes”
or the population control agenda. These promote
invasive, hazardous contraceptives targeting
women; women are seen only as child bearers; and
health programmes for women are geared only
towards maternity and contraception.
mfc calls for a sensitive and comprehensive public
health system that caters to the broader health needs of
people, and for mechanisms for active participation
by the community in planning, control and carrying
out preventive and promotive measures in health.

Un the present health care system, non-allopathic
therapies arc given inferior status. Allopathic
(doctors
call
non-allopathic
practitioners
‘quacks’, with little knowledge about their
system of medical care. Equally unscientific
ore the claims of success made by some nonallopathic practitioners and drug companies.
IPrejudice, ignorance and self-interest have
{prevailed over open-minded scientific thought
iin this important area of medical care.
Research on non-allopathic therapies must
/be encouraged by allotting more funds and
other resources so that such therapies get
their proper place in our healthcare system

IMedical practice as it exists today reflects and
ircinforces some of the negative, unhealthy
♦cultural values and attitudes in our society:
•glorification of money and power, division of
health workers into intellectuals and manual
workers, and domination of men over women, of
urban over rural, and of foreign over Indian.
mfc works towards health care services based
upon human values, concern for human
needs, equality and democratic functioning.
• ACTIVITIES
mfc members are spread out across the country
and engaged in various activities from service
delivery to research and policy analysis in a
range of health-related disciplines. There is also
participation from students of medicine and
the broader social sectors who are in search for
alternatives.

The mfc bulletin has been published regularly
since 1975 and has been the main medium
through which members share their experiences.
Articles

Gujarat after the 2002 communal riots, and on
to Dantewada to study the public health scenari
in the Salwa-Judum camps. Most recently, it ha
been part of the nationwide campaign aroun
the arrest and conviction of Binayak Sen. mfc
an active founder member of the All India Dru
Action Network and of the Jan Swas thya Abhiya
(People’s Health Movement-India).
• PUBLICATIONS

1. In search of diagnosis: Analysis of the preset
system of health care. Ashvin Patel, editor. Firs
published 1977.
2. Health care - ivhich way to go? Abhay Bang an
Ashvin Patel, editors. First published Octobc
1982.
3. Health and medicine - under the lens. Kamal
J Rao and Ashvin Patel, editors. Octobc
1985.
4. Medical education re-examined Dhruv Mankac
editor. 1991
5. The Bhopal disaster aftermath: an epidemiology
cal and socio-medical survey. 1985
6. Distorted lives: women’s reproductive health an
Bhopal disaster. 1990.
7. An epidemiological review of the injectab
contraceptive Depo Provera. C Sathyamal
(jointly published by mfc and Forum fo
Women’s Health), 2000.
8. Carnage in Gujarat: a public health crisis. 2002
9. Where there can go no doctor. Report of fat
finding team to Dantewada (jointly publisher
by mfc and JSA), 2007.

All hack issues of mfc Bulletin are available oi
the website www.nifcindia.org
• MFC’S ORGANISATION

mfc is a loosely knit group of friends from variou
backgrounds, medical and noir medical, ofte
differing in their ways of thinking and mod«<

of action. The working
D ‘core group
Cl ’ consists
of members who are consistently active in mfc
and prepared to give time and energy for its
organisational growth. Newcomers arc encouraged
to join the working group.

The mfc convenor is chosen from among the
members and serves for a term of two years, with
support from an executive commitlee. Decisions
arc based on consensus, with the convenor and
executive committee facilitating the process.
The editor and the editorial committee of the
bi-monthly mfc bulletin are responsible for its
publication.
Membership requests may be sent, along with a
brief introduction, to any member or the convenor.
Application forms may be downloaded from the
website http://www.mfcindia.org

mfc does not receive any external funding and
functions on the strength of the voluntary efforts
and contributions of its members.
mfc is registered under the Societies Registration
Act /1860 (MAH/902/Pune/81) and the Bombay
Public Trust Act, 1950 (Reg.No.F 1996, Pune).

Registered office
medico friend circle
C/o Ms. Manisha Gupte
11, Archana, Kanchanjunga Arcade
163, Solapur Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411 028
Maharastra, India

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