Patient Advocate as a career option
Ranjan K Baruah *
We are aware that our health is our wealth. A good healthy mind and body means healthy societies and healthy nations. In spite of taking care many of us faces health related problem. One could understand the problem when the disease brings the person into critical and emergency conditions.
Many times accidents lead to death for many individuals. Whenever health comes to our mind it also comes about hospitals and nursing homes.
In India, we have seen how government system has failed in providing health welfare due to which many private hospitals are seen everywhere. It has become business for many as corporate are also into health service providers or managing big hospitals.
With an increasing number of corporate hospitals, healthcare related issues, research trials and undue attention by media in India, there is a need to focus more on patient’s rights and protection. Due to which many people are deprived of their rights even people are helpless as they have to pay due even after they lose their near and dear ones.
People become helpless when they do not see ways to fight for the justice. As corporate and private hospitals are big player, so, one or two individuals cannot keep on advocating for their rights on behalf of their patients. There is no doubt that in our country there are regulatory bodies, scientific review committees, ethics committees, NGOs, etc. working towards patient rights and protection.
In spite of these it could be seen that many are yet to get justice. In these crosswords there there’s a need to have a separate group of people who provide advocacy to the patient, or simply, a patient advocacy group which will work clearly in these areas to boost transparency and credibility of healthcare system in our country.
Patient advocacy is an area of specialization in health care concerned with advocacy for patients, survivors, and caregivers.
The patient advocate may be an individual or an organization, often, though not always, concerned with one specific group of disorders. The terms patient advocate and patient advocacy can refer both to individual advocates providing services that organizations also provide, and to organizations whose functions extend to individual patients.
Some patient advocates work for the institutions that are directly responsible for the patient’s care.
Activities include patient rights, matters of privacy, confidentiality or informed consent, patient representation, awareness building, support and education of patients, etc.
Patient advocates give a voice to patients, survivors and their carers on healthcare-related and informing the public, the political and regulatory world, health-care providers (hospitals, insurers, pharmaceutical companies etc.), organizations of health-care professionals, the educational world, and the medical and pharmaceutical research communities.
This brings opportunity for individuals who have studied legal education. Any lawyer may be a patient advocate and they may work individually or in groups. It is seen that at present there are groups of lawyers working together as patient advocate. They may be engaged in NGOs and other regulatory bodies related to patients rights.
Students from social work background may also become successful patient advocates. Apart from academic qualification one must have employability skills to be successful as patient advocate.
Scholarships Updates:
Oxford and Cambridge Society of India (OCSI) Scholarship: The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India is offering scholarships for Indian students for undergraduate, second undergraduate, graduate study and research in any subject available at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, UK. The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India (OCSI) is a not-for-profit alumni organisation based in New Delhi, India. Aspirants may apply before 1st May.
The Cyprus School; of Molecular Medicine (CSMM) , a school of Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics has announced scholarships for the citizens of the Republic of India for the academic year 2019-20 . The scholarships are being offered for Masters and PhD in Neuroscience, Molecular Medicines, Medical Genetics, Biomedical Research, etc. Last date for applying is 15th May.
* Ranjan K Baruah wrote this article for The Sangai Express
Ranjan K Baruah is a career mentor, skill trainer, academic consultant and strategic planner and can be reached at at bkranjan(AT)gmail(DOT)com for any career related queries
This article was posted on April 30, 2019.
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