Vascular surgeon Dr Sumit Kapadia recently spoke about the limitations of modern “full body check-up” packages, pointing out that many people misunderstand what preventive healthcare actually means.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Dr Kapadia said, “There is nothing like a full body check-up. Any number of tests can never detect all problems in your body. And only a blood test is not the only method to detect many problems.”
He further explained that patients often arrive with bulky reports from low-cost health packages featuring hundreds of tests. “We see so many people who say ‘maine full body check up karwaya hai’. They bring a file jisme kuch 1000 tests hain at Rs 999. But they have not detected an echo, ECG.”
Kapadia also highlighted that several important investigations, including tests for arterial blockages in the legs or retinal examinations for diabetics, are often skipped because they are not part of routine blood panels.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
Why ‘100-test packages’ can create false reassurance
According to Dr Amit Saraf, director, department of internal medicine, Jupiter Hospital, Thane, the problem lies in the growing misconception that more tests automatically mean better healthcare.
“Yes, in many cases they do create a false sense of security,” says Dr Saraf. He explains that health cannot be assessed through numbers alone. “A long list of blood tests may look comprehensive on paper, but many important diseases are diagnosed through history-taking, physical examination, imaging, or targeted screening — not through routine blood panels.”
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According to Dr Saraf, a person may have normal blood reports and still suffer from early heart disease, sleep apnea, glaucoma, fatty liver progression, or even certain cancers.
“Cheap ‘100-test’ packages often create the illusion that more tests automatically mean better healthcare,” he says. “In reality, good preventive medicine is personalised, age-specific, and risk-based.”
Blood tests are only one part of preventive care
“Absolutely, we are relying too heavily on blood tests alone,” says Dr Saraf. He explains that several serious conditions require entirely different methods of detection. For instance, diabetic retinal damage needs a dedicated eye examination, while peripheral artery disease may require an ankle-brachial index test. Structural heart abnormalities may only be identified through an ECG or echocardiogram.
“As physicians, we often see patients who feel reassured because their ‘master health check-up’ was normal, while symptoms or risk factors were overlooked,” says Dr Saraf.
He emphasises that meaningful preventive care begins with understanding a patient’s lifestyle, family history, sleep patterns, stress levels, blood pressure, waist circumference, and symptoms, not just laboratory values.
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Why preventive healthcare is becoming increasingly commercialised
According to Dr Saraf, preventive medicine today is often being marketed more like a product than a personalised healthcare service. “Large packages with flashy claims like ‘500 parameters tested’ are easier to market than a thoughtful physician consultation,” he says. “But preventive medicine is not about quantity; it is about relevance.”
He explains that not everyone requires the same investigations. A healthy 25-year-old and a 55-year-old diabetic smoker have completely different risk profiles and therefore require different screening strategies.
“The danger is that marketing often promotes uniform testing for everyone,” says Dr Saraf. “This can lead to unnecessary anxiety, false positives, and missed priorities.”
Further, Dr Saraf underlines, “Low-cost screening packages are not inherently bad. They improve access and encourage people to think about health.” However, problems arise when people begin treating these packages as substitutes for proper medical evaluations.
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DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.