Patients' attitude towards health care at a teaching hospital in India

Using a questionnaire, 362 patients attending the outpatients services of Internal Medicine of Nehru Hospital attached to our institution were randomly interviewed. Seventy per cent of the patients were in the 21-50 years age range; 50% came from rural and 50% from urban areas. Forty per cent travelled more than 30 Km; 72% used a public transport to reach hospital. Most patients had an income less than Rs. 1000/-. Ninety per cent had already consulted another medical practitioner earlier. The largest number of complaints related to the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. On an average 1-2 drugs were prescribed per patient; only 13% of these were available at the hospital dispensary. Most patients were willing to purchase the prescribed drugs from the market.