Prevention is better that cure - Experience firsthand at Apollo

We were brought up being taught that prevention is better than care. Better safe than sorry! They told me. But how safe do we actually stay, now that we’re adults, and our lives are our responsibility?

In India, more than anywhere else, we seem to have a very careless attitude towards life.

We don’t wear seatbelts. We don’t wear helmets. The government enforces it, and we grudgingly oblige (not all the time) – like it is for someone else’s benefit.

So, it is not a surprise that Preventive Health Care is far behind in our priority lists. This is especially unfortunate, as the average age for serious illnesses has been steadily dropping. Illnesses which can be treated more effectively if detected early!

However, I am pleased to note that there is a push for the awareness for Preventive Health Care by some of the major Private Players in the Indian Health Care Industry. Apollo, for example, has an entire Preventive Care Wing is many of its branches.

Thanks to my job switch which required a Pre-employment medical check up, and travels abroad which mandated health checks, I had been getting pretty regular (read once in a couple of years or so) health checks. My last check up was in December 2015 at Apollo, and when Apollo invited me to try out their Executive Package from their Preventive Health Care Check Up Packages, I was more than happy to grab the opportunity!

The entire package took less than 2 hours. They effectively do blood tests, urine tests, ECG and Chest X ray. This is a simple package recommended for those below 30. They have more detailed tests available for different groups of people. The package includes consultation with a physician after the report is out.

Inspired by this, I took my grandmother for a knee-screening package. She’s 77 and has been complaining of mild knee pains for a few months now. Not bad enough to convince her to go to the hospital. Because “Only sick people go to hospitals”. A sentiment which is widely shared here in India.  I told her that this is a package that is for healthy people, and just X rays and blood work. She reluctantly agreed. The X rays showed that her knees were pretty good for her age, but showing signs for mild arthritis – beginning stages. The physio consultation had a nice young doctor teaching my grandmother some basic knee and leg exercises she could do. That simple, and she’s one step closer towards keeping her knees healthy longer.

Some other impressive well thought out Preventive Health Check up Packages they have are:

This is something we all need to get done, and on a regular basis.

The recommended cadence is:

• ·         Once in 2 years for age group less than 30
• ·         Once in 1.5 years till 45
• ·         Once a year after 45
• ·         And once in 8 months after 60
• ·         Cancer / Diabetes/ Heart risk checks every few years with those with family histories of those illnesses

This is something we all should do, and encourage our loved ones to go for as well!

You can book your appointment online at Apollo (HERE) – and have all your record available at one safe place for easy life long tracking! Or, for starters, go to the nearest health care facility and get started on this!