How to Choose a General Physician in Vasant Kunj

The short answer

Most health problems should start with a general physician, not a specialist. Fever, cough, fatigue, stomach upset, body ache, headache, dizziness, blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, routine check-ups — a GP handles all of these, and can tell you whether a specialist is genuinely needed.

Going straight to a specialist often costs more and answers less. Chest discomfort could be cardiac, gastric, muscular or anxiety. A cardiologist will investigate the heart. A general physician will work out which of the four it is first.

When you're choosing, look at four things: the qualifications, how long the consultation lasts, whether you can keep seeing the same doctor, and whether specialists are available under the same roof if you need referring on.

Continuity matters more than most people realise. Systematic review evidence links seeing the same GP over time with meaningfully lower mortality — a doctor who already knows your history spots what's changed.

General physician consultations at All Is Well Medical Centre, Vasant Kunj — Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM. Call 8800844793 or book an appointment.

What does a general physician actually treat?

More than most people assume. A good GP is the first and often the only doctor you need.

Acute illness — fever, cough, cold, sore throat, flu, stomach infections, diarrhoea, vomiting, urinary infections, skin infections, body ache.

Long-term conditions — diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, high cholesterol, asthma. These are managed in primary care worldwide; a specialist is needed only when control proves difficult or complications appear.

Symptoms that don't yet have a name — fatigue, unexplained weight change, dizziness, palpitations, poor sleep, recurring headaches. This is where general medicine earns its keep, because the symptom could belong to any of six specialties and someone has to narrow it down.

Preventive care — annual health checks, blood tests, vaccination for adults, screening advice by age and family history.

Medication review — particularly for older patients on several prescriptions from different specialists, where nobody is looking at the whole list. Interactions and duplications are common and genuinely dangerous.

Referral, when it's actually needed — with a clear question for the specialist rather than a vague handover.

GP or specialist? The question worth getting right

Indian patients increasingly self-refer straight to specialists. It feels efficient. It often isn't.

A specialist investigates within their specialty. That's their job and it's the right approach once the problem is located. But if you arrive at the wrong door, you get a thorough workup of the wrong system — and then start again elsewhere.

Take chest discomfort. It might be angina. It might equally be acid reflux, a muscle strain, costochondritis or anxiety. Go to a cardiologist and you'll likely have an ECG, an echo and possibly a TMT. All reasonable — but if the cause was reflux, you've spent several thousand rupees to be told your heart is fine, and you still have the symptom.

Or persistent tiredness. Anaemia, thyroid problems, diabetes, vitamin B12 or D deficiency, sleep apnoea, depression, and a dozen other causes. No single specialty owns it.

See a general physician first when: the symptom is new or vague, more than one system might be involved, you're not sure which specialist applies, you need a diagnosis before treatment, or you want an honest opinion on whether a specialist is necessary at all.

Go straight to a specialist when: you already have a confirmed diagnosis under their care, you're attending scheduled follow-up, or the problem is unmistakably within one specialty — a fracture, a dental abscess, an eye injury.

Skip both and go to a hospital emergency department if there is chest pain with sweating or breathlessness, difficulty breathing, weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, a first seizure, uncontrolled bleeding, a serious injury, or sudden severe abdominal pain.

How to choose a good general physician

No clinic can tell you it's the best one — and you shouldn't trust one that does. What you can do is check four things.

1 · Understand the qualifications

MBBS is the basic medical degree and the legal foundation for practising medicine. A doctor with MBBS plus decades of general practice can be an excellent physician — experience in primary care is not a lesser thing than a postgraduate certificate.

MD (General Medicine) or DNB (General Medicine) is a three-year postgraduate specialisation in internal medicine. Valuable where complex or multi-system disease is involved.

Diplomas and certificate courses — PGDMCH (maternal and child health), PGCC, IMA certifications — indicate focused additional training in a defined area.

What to actually check: that the doctor's qualifications are stated plainly, and that they hold a current registration with the Delhi Medical Council or another State Medical Council. Any doctor should be able to give you their registration number, and it can be verified on the National Medical Commission register.

Be wary of clinics that list degrees without naming the doctor holding them, or use vague phrasing like "our expert doctors" without a single credential attached.

2 · Ask how long a consultation is

A proper first consultation for a new problem takes fifteen to twenty minutes. History, examination, explanation. A three-minute consultation with a prescription is a transaction, not an assessment.

Booking slots are a reasonable proxy — a clinic advertising 20-minute appointments has planned for the time.

3 · Check whether you can keep seeing the same doctor

This is underrated. Systematic review evidence associates higher continuity with a personal GP with roughly 10–15% lower premature mortality. The mechanism isn't mysterious: a doctor who saw you last year knows your baseline, your medications and your family history, and notices when something has shifted.

Ask whether the clinic runs fixed doctor timings, or whether you'll see whoever is available.

4 · Check what's available if you need referring on

Two things matter here — whether the clinic can arrange blood tests and imaging without sending you across the city, and whether specialists are available in the same place if the GP's assessment points that way. Continuity of records matters as much as continuity of doctor.

What not to judge on

Not the number of stars alone. Read recent reviews and look at what they describe. A review saying the doctor explained things clearly tells you more than a bare five stars.

Not who ranks first in a search. That reflects marketing, not medicine.

Not the fee, in either direction. A higher fee doesn't buy a better diagnosis, and the cheapest consultation isn't a bargain if it lasts three minutes and you end up seeing someone else anyway.

What happens in a first consultation

Knowing the shape of it makes the visit more useful.

The history takes the longest and matters the most. When symptoms began, how they've changed, what makes them better or worse, previous illnesses, current medication, family history, occupation, travel, allergies. Most diagnoses are made here.

The examination — pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and an examination of whichever system the history points to.

Tests, only if they'll change the decision. A good physician orders tests to answer a specific question, not to appear thorough. If you're offered a large panel, it's fair to ask which result would change your treatment.

The explanation — what's likely going on, what the plan is, what should improve and by when, and what would mean coming back sooner.

Bring these with you

• Any current medicines, in their boxes — the actual strips, not a remembered list

• Previous reports from the last year or two

• The dates and pattern of your symptoms

• Your questions, written down, so you don't remember them in the lift afterwards

General physicians at All Is Well Medical Centre

At Central Market, Masoodpur — opposite Vasant Square Mall.

Dr. Pratik Banerjee — MBBS, PGCC, Paediatrics (IMA). Family general physician with 37 years' experience, formerly a Medical Officer with the Indian Army. Sees patients of all ages, from young children to elderly. MCI Reg. 8337 / DMC 9412.

Dr. Sushma Vikirna — MBBS, PGDMCH, MBA (Healthcare Administration). Senior Consultant with 35+ years' experience, previously with large government hospitals and with CGHS and ESIC. Particular focus on maternal and child health, women's wellness and the long-term management of chronic conditions.

Between them, more than seventy years of general practice — the kind of pattern recognition that only accumulates with time. [CONFIRM both doctors are happy with this framing]

Also available under the same roof, if a referral is needed: ENT, gynaecology, paediatrics, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, spine surgery, urology and psychiatry, with lab tests, home sample collection and MRI, CT, ultrasound and X-ray arranged as required.

Consultation fee: ₹1,200 when you book with us directly. Fees for appointments booked through third-party platforms are set on those platforms and may differ.

Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM. Call 8800844793 or book an appointment online.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a general physician and a specialist? A general physician diagnoses and treats a wide range of conditions across the whole body, and decides whether a specialist is needed. A specialist focuses on one system or organ. For a new or unclear symptom, a general physician is usually the more efficient first stop.

Is MBBS enough for a general physician? Yes. MBBS is the qualifying medical degree and the legal basis for practising medicine in India. Many highly experienced general physicians hold MBBS with decades of practice. MD or DNB in General Medicine adds three years of postgraduate training in internal medicine, which matters most for complex or multi-system illness.

How do I verify a doctor's qualifications in India? Ask for their State Medical Council registration number — for Delhi, the Delhi Medical Council. Registration can be checked on the National Medical Commission register. Any practising doctor should be willing to provide it.

How long should a consultation take? For a new problem, fifteen to twenty minutes is reasonable — enough for history, examination and explanation. Follow-ups for a known condition are usually shorter.

Does it matter if I see the same doctor each time? Yes. Systematic review evidence links continuity with a personal GP to roughly 10–15% lower premature mortality. A doctor who knows your history and medication notices changes that a first-time consultation cannot.

What is the general physician consultation fee in Vasant Kunj? At All Is Well Medical Centre it is ₹1,200 booking directly. Fees vary between clinics and by booking channel — worth confirming when you book, whichever clinic you choose.

When should I skip the GP and go straight to hospital? Chest pain with sweating or breathlessness, difficulty breathing, weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, a first seizure, uncontrolled bleeding, serious injury, or sudden severe abdominal pain. These need an emergency department, not a clinic appointment.

Reviewed by Dr. Pratik Banerjee, MBBS, PGCC, Paediatrics (IMA), and Dr. Sushma Vikirna, MBBS, PGDMCH, MBA (Healthcare Administration), All Is Well Medical Centre, Vasant Kunj. Last updated [29 August, 2026].

This article is general health information, not a diagnosis. If you are unwell, please see a doctor.

Contact

Call 8800844793. Home visits 6 am to midnight.

Phone

8800844793

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Shop no. 1, Central Market, Sector B Rd, opposite Vasant Square Mall, Masoodpur, Sector B, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, Delhi 110070

ADDRESS

All is well medical centre

10 AM - 7 PM

Mon-SAT