Unnecessary surgery is not new in medicine. Stenting, knee replacements, hysterectomies are often found to be unnecessary on second opinion.
"We found that the discrepancy in opinions (between the patient's doctors and the second opinion-giver) was highest in heart problems at 55%," said Dr Shome. Knee replacements and hysterectomies were second at 48% while infertility was third on the list with 45% discrepancy in opinions. "We have doctors seeking opinions if they themselves are asked to undergo surgery.
"Individuals in India with private voluntary health insurance are two to three times more likely to be hospitalized than the national average. Many of these interventions deliver only marginal benefits and can actually harm the patients, leading to unnecessary suffering, especially among the frail and elderly," said the World Bank document.
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