DO you want to get VIP medical care? Then you just have to be a VIP (Very Informed Patient), insist doctors Aniruddha and Anjali Malpani. And to help you with that, they have put down useful and practical guidelines and tips in a 337-page book called How to Get the Best Medical Care. A companion book Successful Private Practice was also released a fortnight ago by Dr Aditi Govitrikar. This one’s a guide for young doctors setting out on their own. Or for those fed up of long exhausting hours and crushing workloads, with dissatisfied patients, and ones who feel they are inadequately paid for their hard work. The Malpanis have a 20-year-practice, four books and a health library to their credit and these books distil their experience in practical terms. ‘‘The basic philosophy is that the patient should be at the centre of the medical universe,’’ says Dr Aniruddha Malpani. ‘‘If everything goes well then the doctor is God, if not then he’s a devil; our books seek to balance this.’’ How to Get the Best Medical Care has some interesting and informative chapters on staying healthy, which include ‘Making Sense of Medical Stories in the News’, ‘Common Medical Problems at Home’, ‘How to Keep Fit while Travelling’ and even one on ‘Alternative Medicine’. I find the section on ‘You and Your Doctor’ most informative, because they not only give pointers on how to find your Dr Right, but also talk about ‘How to Make the Most of Your Doctor’. Other tips include ‘Making Friends with the Clinic Staff’ and essential guidelines on health insurance, how to complain effectively etc. Similarly, medicines and their side effects and even a user-friendly guide to the hospital and surgery are provided. Successful Private Practice: Winning Strategies for Doctors is packed with tips that range from designing your clinic to marketing your practice, hiring the right people to improving your bedside manner. And where else can you find information on steering clear of malpractice threats and how to avoid legal battles? Written in a down-to-earth style, the two doctors seem to be like friends explaining ‘‘everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.’’ The books are priced at Rs 250 each. Send in an email to info@drmalpani.com or call 022-22151065. You Ask, They Answer
