To my colleagues, friends and MELiSA subscribers
I have been delaying this email to you in hope of bringing good news but unfortunately our time has run out for 2010. As the leaders of our profession and loyal supporters of MELiSA I now owe you an explanation.
2010 was a very difficult year for MELiSA. It started in March with some of our suppliers (who I will keep nameless for now) ‘persuaded’ us to withdraw from a sale we had made with the Eastern Cape Department of Health so as not to interfere with prior sales the publisher had there even though this was not in our contractual agreement. By the end of July we had additional sales in place and our forecast was promising. Unfortunately one of these was delayed beyond what we could afford which compromised us significantly once again... hence the journal access issues we, and you, were been experiencing. We sincerely apologise for this and as you may have noticed renewals/subscriptions to MELiSA were free from October.
I believe very strongly in the benefit of MELiSA for South Africa and have been working extremely hard to source additional funding from the corporate sector. Unfortunately many of the obvious companies we approached questioned their ROI (return on investment). Either they felt “didn’t need to market to doctors” as they had market share in this arena already or “we want to be first to market” and hence not interested or that there was no benefit to sponsoring doctors with access to MELiSA, and in so doing helping to keep MELiSA going, because and I quote, “while there is value to MELiSA there is absolutely no value-add to doctors because they wouldn’t use it. Doctors don’t read!!” One director of a large GP / allied medical group felt there was no need for reading (other than what they supplied) at all!! Scary thought indeed.
There is some truth to these sentiments. We have, after almost 3 years, over 1000 active users out of a total medical market in SA of well over 100 000 individuals (according to the HPCSA, excluding nurses and of which doctors make up around 20 000). Even when given free access through generous pharmaceutical sponsorship, only 30% of members of a particular society bothered to register with MELiSA. This is why I refer to you as the “leaders of the profession” above. Yes, there are other sources to read from but these sorts of stats are concerning!
Usage, however, has been increasing and attitudes are changing and I believe the ‘responses’ above are extremely short sighted to say the least!!
Of particular concern though is the image of our profession amongst our corporate sector peers. Once a noble profession demanding respect because of the quality of the practitioners and care offered, this is no longer the case. Doctors are viewed as only interested in what they can get for free, how much they can bill and most importantly the impression that “they don’t read”! The inference being that practitioners of medicine (across all disciplines: doctors, dentists, nursing etc.) in South Africa, in general, are not up to date in the practice of their own profession, one in which they should be expert especially when considering the consequences of inappropriate or outdated care. The impression I gleaned is that the profession has lost its credibility and respect amongst peers of other professions. This needs to change!!
The sectors we covered, just to give you an idea, include:
• Banking
• Medical aid
• Insurance
• Pharmaceutical & equipment
• Hospital groups
• NGOs
• IDC
• Venture capitalist firms
(Please note that we haven’t been to every single company in all these sectors)
I have waited till the very last minute of 2010 to see if someone would come through for us but this has not happened. I am now forced to take MELiSA off the web and put it on ice for the time being.
All is not lost yet however. There are still some companies who are considering our proposal and I am waiting for meetings with new individuals and potential funders.
MELiSA needs your support now more than ever in convincing our peers and corporate sector directors and managers that there are medical professionals, leaders, who are at the top of their game, who do care about having access to the latest literature and that companies who support us in this endeavour will see a ROI (return on investment). I need your help in convincing them of the benefit of a resource like MELiSA, something which I alone have failed to achieve. I think with your help they will come to realise this necessity.
You can do so either via email info@melisa.co.za or on our blog spot, www.melisaphon8.blogspot.com where everyone will be able to interact and view each other’s comments (good or bad), or you are welcome to make direct contact with companies if you are really passionate about MELiSA. If you have any suggestions please also send them along.
I will continue to push hard at restoring MELiSA. It really is too good and too important to lose!!
I apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and support. I look forward to e-mailing again only next time with great news.
All the best for 2011
Regards
Brian
I personally found MELISA, in particular access to MDConsult, to be of great value. I was disappointed when the MDConsult access was stopped last year.
ReplyDeleteTo those who believe doctor's don't read - I would like to meet these doctors, as they must be a great danger to themselves and society.
Kind Regards
It is a fallacy and insult that doctors dont read.They got to be doctors in the first place through reading.The medical industry (Big Pharma, medical aid industry and manufacturers of medical equipment) make their profits thrugh the sweat of underpaid doctors but they cant spare a few rands to support an initiative like
ReplyDeleteMelisa. Doctors must also refuse to support those companies who refuse to sponsor them. it is high time those shackles are broken. Regards JKM
I believe there is some truth in the comments about SA doctors not being up to date with modern scientific developments. This is probably due to a combination of factors that includes: a)the expense involved in attending conferences in Europe and North America (long distances, weak Rand, absence of tax breaks and low relative income compared with colleagues who work in Europe and North America), b) expense of buying journal subscriptions, c)very high work load of doctors due to the severe shortage of doctors, d)virtual absence of research at local "academic" centres because professors are all doing private practice to support their incomes and e) poor quality of local congresses.
ReplyDeleteEasy access to journals is one way to help improve matters
The loss of Melisa, is one that cannot be afforded, and is something that I regret will only be mourned long after its premature demise. Doctors have only themselves to blame, for their poor enrollments, and the pharmaceutical companies should hang their collective heads in shame, for not being progressive thinkers. Melisa was an idea that was ahead of its time, and I am glad to say that I was able to benefit from it. Thank you to the Melisa team!!! I am and allways will be a supporter of efforts that will expand our envelope of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteSunil Singh
It's sad that such a great website isn't sustainable.
ReplyDeleteAcademic centers, state hospitals and the private sector could benefit from access to knowledge.
Only a 1000 subscribers seem very little?
Do medical professionals know about the site?
Word of mouth seem to be a slow marketing tool.......
I think that most people would pay a subscription fee. it's much easier to pay a single fee and have access to more sites than pay / magazine or /site.
Working as a doctor in a busy rural hospital in the government sector, I have found MELiSA to be a valuable resource in caring for my patients.
ReplyDeleteThe website gave me easy access to a wide variety of well researched topics, at a price that I could afford.
I am very sad to no longer have this initiative available to myself or to my colleagues, and I hope that a solution to this impasse is found soon. I wish Dr.Levy all the best in his endevours.
I am truly saddened by the suspension of MELiSA. It offered easy access to updated medical knowledge, which was a great help in my years served in the rural communities, where access to journals and medical libraries are virtually non-existent. I think that the Department of Health would do well to look into funding this project, as there are many Community Service Doctors and Medical Officers currently in this very situation, who would greatly benefit from such a resource.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with G Stapleton, and I think that it is expensive for the average medical officer, especially in public service, to have the time off or the funding to attend conferences or to purchase a large variety of medical journals in order to improve current medical practices. I think that MELiSA bridged this gap in knowledge for many, and I for one am certainly grateful for it!
To those members of the big corporates who don't wish to fund the medical fraternity and who don't have the foresight to enable them to see their return on investment....well... I sincerely hope that one day when YOU are in desperate need of health care, that you are attended to by a Dr that DID manage to get a hold of journals and remain up to date with current medical practice!
What a loss. I have a suggestion. Will it be possible for MELISA to be accredited with CPD points. This should have a positive response ( increased subscription rates and corporate interest)
ReplyDeleteJ D NEL
I find it hard to believe that doctors don't read. I would hate to believe that there are people who rely purely on the marketing drivel of most companies.
ReplyDeleteI used MeLiSa fairly often although I must say that I restricted myself to 2 or 3 major journals.
I believe that this initiative was extremely worthwhile - to the point that I believe the Dept of Health should promote its use and help with sponsorship even if only for their minions.
It's not only doctors who used MeLiSa, it's also the allied health professionals like myself. As a physio in the field of vestibular rehabilitation I have very few resources available to me locally as this field is new here. I used MeLiSa frequently to update myself on the latest pathologies and therapy techniques available. I am very disappointed that this service will no longer be available. Brian, you have my full support and I hope you can find a way to keep it going.
ReplyDeleteWhat a loss and great pity that such a great initiative and incredible resource has ended in this way. MELISA allowed all who used it access to up to date and best practice evidence based medicine. I already miss reading and researching using MELISA. What a poor reflection on the current state of best practice in South Africa.
ReplyDeleteFor one to think there is no need to read and keep up to date is nothing short of arrogant, irresponsible and dangerous. Such attitudes are most likely to ultimately bring the profession into disrepute.
MELISA you have my best wishes for success in your current endeavours and I hope to be able to log on again in the near future.