PR Newswire | 08 Jan, 2015
BANGALORE: Healthstrikers.com, a first of its kind online healthcare networking platform and consumer forum, has been launched today.
Problems with the healthcare sector, including negligence induced fatalities, are making headlines daily, with everything from artificially inflated treatment costs and incompetent physicians to sub-standard equipment and poor hygiene sparking public outrage. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, many people still don't have access to any form of patient advocacy and are left in the lurch with their healthcare grievances.
In the midst of the chaos, we also find many positives such as innovations in surgical and diagnostic equipment, an abundance of pharmaceuticals, increased number of specialty departments in hospitals and even medical camps sponsored by the medical community. However, far too many people still lack access to such services, and this is especially the case for society's downtrodden - the overworked and underpaid laborers, the abandoned elderly, the disabled and the countless victims of exploitation.
The fact that our healthcare system is tainted by such exclusion is nothing less than a social injustice, and it is this observation that has prompted us to take on the task of making these voices heard in such a way that they cannot be ignored. With healthstrikers.com, we have created a space to bring crucial healthcare discussions into the public domain where they will be brought to the notice of health authorities and the appropriate government officials.
The forum is devoted solely to healthcare issues and is open to the public and to all stakeholders including patients, care givers, medical professionals, legal advocates and government officials. Simply register and log in to join the discussion and make your voice heard. For further details log on to http://www.healthstrikers.com.
Commenting on the launch, Shri U.T. Khader, Hon'ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare said, "First of all I would like to congratulate and wish success to the healthstrikers.com's team. I am sure healthstrikers.com is going to be a network of knowledge which will help in the exchange of views internationally and benefit the health segment. If everyone participates making it a common platform, then the concern is addressed."
Praising this initiative, Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, Public Health Consultant, Jana Arogya Andolana Karnataka opined, "When it comes to health services, there is no accountability in the private sector. If anything goes wrong where can one go to put forward their complaint? There is no cost control in private health sector. This kind of issue does not arise much when it comes to public sector health care system as there is the health minister or other health officials who addresses these complaints. These kind of platforms, like healthstrikers.com, give a space to share their concern and offer people a chance to compare and get an idea."
Dr. Sylvia also suggested that since healthstrikers.com is currently accessible to the urban tech savvy group of people and should be expanded to the group which requires it the most, especially people from the rural areas.
Speaking about their initiative, Mr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava, CEO, Healthstrikers.com said, "Every day we get to hear of health fatalities led by wrong treatment, inflated treatment cost, but we still do not have access to any form of patient advocacy and where these kinds of grievances are addressed. Hence with healthstrikers.com, we have created a space to bring crucial healthcare discussions into the public domain where they will be brought to the notice of health authorities and the appropriate government officials. This forum also helps in taking forward this information to a wider public."
Media Contact: Poragmoni Das, p.das@themessengers.co.in, +91-9986166706, Director, The Messengers
|
