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| EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2017 | Volume
: 15
| Issue : 2 | Page : 83 |
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Editorial
Tony Abraham Thomas
Editor Department of Continuing Medical Education, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| Date of Web Publication | 18-May-2017 |
Correspondence Address:
Tony Abraham Thomas
Continuing Medical Education, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore - 632 002, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/cmi.cmi_36_17
How to cite this article:
Thomas TA. Editorial. Curr Med Issues 2017;15:83 |
Dear Readers,
A child with fever is a common problem presenting to the pediatrician and general practitioner. Knowing the right list of differential diagnoses in line with the history and clinical findings guides the physician toward a possible diagnosis, which can be confirmed by laboratory investigations. In this issue, the steps toward diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children have been clearly laid out. Other illnesses presenting with fever, such as dengue, scrub typhus, typhoid, and malaria have been described in review articles as well as case scenario discussions. These are practical guidelines based on the latest recommendations offered by leading medical bodies, while keeping in mind the practical issues faced by the clinician in the day-to-day practice. Guidelines for screening of autism in school-going children have been provided by Dr. MC Mathew, a pioneer in the field of Developmental Pediatrics in India, continuing with the guidelines for toddlers in the previous issue (CMI January–March issue).
The economic aspect of illness has been brought into stark focus in two heartrending accounts of doctors practicing in remote hospitals in India. Medical treatment has been known to be the leading cause of poverty and bankruptcy in low-middle income countries. The increasing emphasis on defensive medicine, the commercialization of medical practice, and the insistence of governments that only “specialists” can treat certain conditions has meant that the costs of medical treatment only keep rising and the poor are the ones who are hit the hardest. Selling their source of livelihood and lands and obtaining loans at exorbitant interest rates to meet the cost of treatment are common, pushing entire families into serious debt and driving them into bonded labor in desperation. Corruption only compounds the issue. The solutions for this are not simple in a vast country like India, whether in the form of medical insurance or concessions or government subsidies. Medical administrative bodies and the government will need to think deep and in an inclusive manner, keeping the poor in mind, if the health indices of the country have to improve without impoverishing the community. At the ground level, doctors can make a difference by being careful in avoiding unnecessary investigations and keeping costs to a minimum, especially for those who are poor.
Readers are welcome to send in your clinical queries which will be addressed by experts in the concerned field. The editorial board also looks forward to your feedback and comments on the journal so that it can stay relevant and useful in your practice.
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