Sarthak Verma

CMD @sushmahospital | IET Lucknow | IIM Lucknow | Personal journal: déjà vu, but everything's new.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

.@HiltonHotels very unwelcoming property you’ve got at Varanasi, India.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

It’s yet another mundane Monday upon us: the days drag on & the years fly by.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

Intense exercise in the mornings, & some hard liquor in the evenings: endorphins have ways to surprise you!

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

@HyattConcierge I am staying at Hyatt Regency Chennai. & it has been more than an hour since I had asked for it. I am a member of your #worldofhyatt & #hyattdiningclub

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

@HyattConcierge hello, so does it take more than 1 hour to deliver a set of cutlery (plate, bowl, spoon& fork) to a room?

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

Watched #Dhurandhar2. Good movie: great characters, Ranveer Sara et al stand out; apt musical score; clever writing. Meh aspects: in-your-face politics; tends to drag; #Dhurandhar1 spoilt the audience. Bottom line: would definitely recommend a dekko at the movies. #zeitgeist

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

Completed the Kipling trek from Dehradun to Mussoorie, & for good measure went on to Landour. It was exhilarating.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

2 new pair of shoes, 2 days. Asics Nimbus 27 are the best sneakers that I have tried: it’s my everyday pair for home use now (I walk on my toes mostly). New Balance 880 v14 is a good pair and I can comfortably & happily wear it everyday, even to work: they look good & are comfy.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

@anuragkumarlko @lkopolice Omg, I hope you guys are alright! Please take care. @lkopolice please look into this

[Anurag Kumar @anuragkumarlko]

I have tweeted repeatedly to @lkopolice to check loafer elements roaming about the whole night and day at Tatpatti Crossing Yahiyaganj but they did nothing today at 11:30 in the night someone set fire to lower portion of our house. Loafer elements hang out the whole day and night. It took me and fire brigade guys to douse the fire in 2 hours hope @Uppolice will look into this. It is the second time someone has set fire here @AdminLKO @myogiadityanath @CMOfficeUP

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

@spicydabeli Doing god’s work man, kudos & thanks!

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

This video is an interesting example of building up-on something. The movie is adapted from a book, and "Chigurh" definitely existed in it; however, an interesting interpretation that presumes otherwise & stokes your mental faculties is most definitely worth looking into.

https://t.co/p142Knnkvf

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

Life is so very random, and we tend to overthink & find meanings in this game of chance

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

CM grids work is ongoing in my area: Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar #Lucknow. I hope that they install good footpaths in the area as well. At around ₹2 Cr per km, it’ll be a wise investment on part of the concerned department and shall make the area immensely more liveable.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

These songs of the Border remake remind me of the many great remakes/reprises of numerous songs that have gone largely unnoticed because they were not marketed in this brazen (& exploitative) manner.

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

Giving a whole new meaning to “one in a million”, as you’d be buying one of a million bottles produced.
https://t.co/qjFo61d3uy

[TheLiverDoc™ @theliverdoc]

STAY WITH ME.

A few years ago, a patient was referred to me because he was diagnosed with complicated cirrhosis. He had an infection which led to a condition called hepatic encephalopathy (brain failure due to high ammonia levels). The treatment largely involved ammonia reducing therapies. One drug was central to this - Rifaximin - a non-absorbable antibiotic that reduced ammonia in the body. I prescribed him Rifaximin for 6 weeks and advised him follow-up.

He came back to me, not after six weeks, but in 4 weeks, this time, in liver coma (worst stage of brain failure - due to very high ammonia). He spent two days in the ICU and six days in total in the hospital. His hospital bill was close to INR 80,000. He had no insurance and his wife borrowed the money from neighbors and friends to clear hospital dues.

Upon questioning, I found that he was not taking the Rifaximin drug I had prescribed. He was only on the other two drugs (one, a syrup called lactulose for improving ammonia clearance in gut). I was furious, because the patient spent a whole week unecessarily in the ICU and wasted so much money that he never had - just because he was "not compliant" to my orders. I decided it was time for me to school him a bit.

But I was wrong. He was compliant. He had purchased Rifaximin and was on it. For 15 days. Thereafter, he could not afford it. He was an autorickshaw driver who shuttled school children every morning and evening. He could hardly make ends meet. He had two children of his own. The Rifaximin brand I prescribed him was 42 rupees per tablet. He had to consume two a day - which would mean 2520 rupees a month. He just did not have that money - so he skipped it - to not compromise on other important matters - childrens education and food.

He was confused and scared about opting for a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, he was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not prescribed by me and two, he was "scared" that I would scold him for buying a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble.

I was confused and scared about prescribing a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, I was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not "a good promoted brand" and two, I was "scared" that his family would scold me for prescribing a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble.

It is heartbreaking that many doctors still simply don’t trust generic medicines. Too often, they worry that these cheaper options are lower quality or might cause more problems than the big, famous brands. This fear leads them to prescribe expensive drugs instead, and the real tragedy is that it pushes vital healthcare out of reach for the ordinary people who need it most - like my patient.

This narrative, that generic drugs 'are never good' and that only big pharmaceutical marketed drugs are what works has been deeply ingrained into doctors and patients alike - I do not know by whom and since when. Looking back, these strong emotions were based on either opinions, testimonials or second- and third-hand information. Not evidence.

Like I said. Stay with me. This is life changing and will disrupt the drug market in India. Here are the results of The Citizens Generic vs. Brand Drugs Quality Project.
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[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

@anuragkumarlko Thank you 🙏🏽

That was one hellish week: papa passed away concomitantly. Samarth & I were devastated

[Sarthak Verma @sarthak]

One of my big regrets is that I couldn’t get in a proper goodbye to my dear Ché.