Traditional system of family physicians could be revived by 2050:

Traditional system of family physicians could be revived by 2050: Prof P M Bhargava

The age-old tradition of having a family physician, a concept which has no takers in the current times of super-specialists, may be once again revived by the year 2050.

“Also, plant-based drugs which are common in all the five traditional alternative medicine: AYUSH, will be used for making drugs in future,” said renowned scientist and recipient of Padma Bhushan, Prof P M Bhargava here on Thursday.

Emphasising that specialty in the medical care is proving a threat to the patients as in most of the cases the patient needs general treatment; he predicted that by 2050 the government sector hospitals and all rare and tertiary care cases will be taken care of by private sector hospitals. He also said, “Unlike today, most of the tests would be done at home using portable kits and people would no longer need to go through the cumbersome process of waiting for test reports.”

He also insisted that institutes like PGIMER should start MD in Family Medicine which is presently offered only by the University of SCIENCES, Kolkata, to revive the tradition of a general physician.

He was sharing his vision as part of the 3 RD Professor R N Chakravati Memorial Oration Lecture, titled : The likely Scenario of medical and Health care in 2050 at PGI.

Prof Bhargava elaborated that at present as many as 40,000 formulations made from plant extracts are there in practice in India by Ayurveda practitioners and in coming days out this at least 4,000 formulations will be come in picture. “Medicines made from these plant extracts will be cheaper. There are many diseases that would get eradicated from the scene including malaria, tuberculosis, polio, leprosy, filarial, yellow fever, plague, cholera but new viral diseases will come and there will be increase in environment – induced diseases-allergy, asthma etc”.