Hospital Phobia!

Hospital Phobia! These days, we hear of young people in their 30s and 40s dying suddenly due to cardiac arrest. This is doubly tragic as they make an unceremonial exit at the peak of their earning age. Most of the deaths can be prevented if they consult a doctor at the first suspicion of a heart attack. Unfortunately, most people, especially men, hesitate consulting doctors for various reasons. One of them is a morbid fear of getting their worst fears confirmed, which would mean a loss of income, time and even the spectre of Death looming large. Another cause is the ego factor, as the male ego interferes with acceptance of another male in charge of his life. This is especially true for men employed in high positions or in the high socio-economic brackets. Among people from the lower strata of society, the fear of the high costs of Emergency medical treatment discourage people from seeking early medical treatment. These factors explain the high pre hospital morbidity of heart ailments in our country. It is imperative that we should prevent these sudden deaths of young people at all costs. This can be only done by health education, awareness of cardiac problems and providing pre-hospital health care facilities. The need for a periodic annual heart check up is mandatory for everyone above 30yrs, particularly if there is a risk factor like smoking, diabetes, hypertension or a family history of heart attacks.