General health checkups: is it a necessity or just another Western fad? Who better to answer that question than not one but two doctors. Enter Dr. Sachey Kumar Pahari (FRCPE), Royal and UN Physician and the Executive Chairman of Nepal Medical College and Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital and Dr. Anil Shrestha, medical officer, Kathmandu Medical College, Teaching Hospital.
Both the doctors agreed that the need for regular health checkups have been blown out of proportion, especially in context to a country like Nepal. The checkup, which normally costs over NRS 5,000, is beyond the means of most Nepalis. Some of the lab tests, which are packaged as part of the checkup, are not necessary.
Regular general health checkups maybe useful for people over forty and those with a family history of ailments like diabetes, but otherwise, they are not absolutely necessary. "There are a lot of other diseases that one can catch overnight, at any time," Dr Pahari said. "A general health checkup cannot really be a safeguard against them."
Without totally dismissing the need for checkups, the doctors advised a supervised approach to it. Rather that go to any health facility directly and undergo a barrage of tests, it would be better to visit a physician first and then take only the tests prescribed. Both doctors stressed the need to take any abnormality seriously be it a headache, stomachache or persistent fever as those could be symptoms of something more serious.
Having established that general health checkups are not absolutley essential, what is necessary however, is to visit a physician when you notice abnormal health symptoms.
What constitutes a General Health Checkup?
The actual group of tests that constitute a general health checkup package varies with each health centre. The following are usually conducted:-
Treadmill Test
Echocardiography
Electro Cardio Graph
X-Ray
Ultra Sound
Blood Tests:
Lipid Profile
Uric acid
Urea Cretonite
Liver Function
Blood Sugar
Hematology Profile
Urine Analysis
