Should generalized annual health checkups be stopped?

Should generalized annual health checkups be stopped?

In the medical world, there is an important place of generalized annual health checkups. They are considered as vital to stay fit and healthy. In the recent developments, the top most cardiologists of the AIIMS are soon going to start a new initiative termed as the Society for Less Investigative Medicine. It is abbreviated as SLIM. It will focus on the growing problems of the excessive medical investigations. It will specifically cover the investigations pertaining to cardiology. Apart from these, many research groups do carry out their studies on the significance of generalized annual health checkups, and find them irrelevant. What’s your view? Should generalized annual health checkups be stopped?

Yes

• The generalized health checkups are nothing but a way that adds to healthcare costs without providing any special benefits. In fact they eat up the money that can be spent on other aspects of healthcare.

• At many places the investigations are done to support the economic incentives arising out of the expensive tests.

• Generalized health checkups have become a profession these days that adds to the bank’s balance of doctors and the diagnostic centre.

• General health checkups don’t have any set guidelines, and therefore are misused by the medical professionals. There is no check agency or regulations to cross check the significance of tests suggested.

• Research states that generalized health checkups don’t have any impact on the total mortality or cause-specific mortality.

• Instead of generalized health checkups, it is better to track the risk factors and avoid the much other harm related to health checkups like over-diagnosis, overtreatment, adverse psychosocial effects and many others.

• It is an extra expense for the government who offers annual health check-up to the officers coming in Group 'A' under the Central Government Health Scheme.

No

• The early detection of risk factors like hypertension certainly has an impact on morbidity and mortality. The number may be small but preventive treatment still helps.

• The tests are advised by the health professionals to detect the problems without which treatment is not possible.

• Many a times people take a problem like headache leniently but it can be a sign of some major neurological problem.

• The generalized health checkup is one of the ways to encourage people live a healthy lifestyle. They in fact work inspires people to change the things that are turning to be harmful in their life.

• People at very young age are getting more prone to the life threatening diseases, and checkups can help them detect precursors to disease.

• It is said health is wealth and therefore, it is ok if money is spent on the generalized health checkups once a year.

Conclusion
SLIM is about helping the people know if they are being exploited by the doctors in name of investigations. It can be a good step. Also, coming on the generalized health checkups, a number of researches have shown that health checkups do more bad than good. They lead people to go for over diagnosis; overtreatment, continuation of difficult health behavior and most importantly can leave an adverse psychosocial effect on the people. However, if some symptoms continuously persist, then it is better to consult an expert and get the investigations done. At the same time, prevention is better than cure.