Kerala High Court retired judge Justice K Narayana Kurup has said quality health care is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and the state cannot shirk from the responsibility to provide equitable health care to its citizens.
He was inaugurating the All-Kerala Surgeons’ Convention in Thrissur on Saturday.
The state along with private institutions can do a lot to mitigate the hardship and suffering of patients by extending the benefits of the latest medical technology at an affordable rate, he said. Drug prescription abuse is another black mark on the medical profession, he said.
“Doctors should remember that over prescription will inflict more damage on the patient. The unhealthy nexus between pharmaceutical companies and the members of the medical profession is to a great extent responsible for this scenario. OTC drugs should be discouraged as they are responsible for various side-effects like renal damage,” he said.
R V Prasad, John S Kurian, Suresh Chandra Hari, Prof P V Francis, K S Varma, Santhosh John Abraham, Thomas Varghese, C J Varghese and Ashok Varma spoke.