While watching an intense debate on a TV channel today morning, over the repercussions of recent withdrawals of cash-less hospitalization benefits by most of the major Indian Insurance companies, a thought suddenly came to my mind: Do we need a OBAMA like leader, here, for streamlining “India’s Health-Care System,” which, no doubt, is, less fortunate than, even an orphan.
I’m sure, most of my Indian readers must have experienced, once at least, how painful it is, to get an appropriate cost-effective treatment in any private hospital these days.
Now read the verdict of Delhi High Court on one such incident,
(c) The bills in respect of 22 employees (post at IGIA) and their family members listed in Annexure-2 have also been examined and it was found that bills are inflated and/or excess charged and the amount had been deducted from almost every bill. The details of which are given in Annexure-3.(d) It is seen from the name and designation of the patients that almost all of them are belonging to Class-IV (Group ‘D’) employees like Safaiwala, Belder etc., who are generally not much educated. The hospital took advantage of their lower educational level of the employees and had admitted them even for minor ailments and also raised the inflated bills which resulted in deduction as brought out in the foregoing paras.(e) It is also clear from Annexure-1 & 3 that approx.10-12% billing amounts are either inflated and/or charged in excess which clearly establishes that M/s.Sunil Nursing Home had been indulging in unfair practices.
Recently, my brother, suffering from high fever, went to a reputed hospital and in no time he was ill-advised for immediate admission terrifying him of the consequences if he decides against it. He refused and consulted another doctor; this time not a consultant operating from private clinics but from residence. Trust me, it took him a few days to completely recover staying at home, and the treatment cost was less than a tenth of the estimated expenditure that the other doctor indicated.
For various reasons: High mortality rate, technological advancement etc, medical profession has recently undergone a major transformation in terms of corporatization; however, why in India, still, there’s no effective regulatory system in place that can successfully eradicate so called health-care malpractices.
DNA in April carried a story on how hospitals make money on syringes this way, drawing as much as Rs24,000 from 100 patients (assuming each used 24 syringes at an MRP of Rs12 each, which the hospital bought at Rs2 each). Now DNA has a copy of an agreement between a leading corporate chain running over 40 hospitals in the country and a manufacturer, proving the practice.
I think, we must learn a few lessons from the US in this respect and immediately create a result-oriented infrastructure to regulate Indian health-care system.
Do you too think in the similar way? if so, what would you like to propose?
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Cross-posted from my blog Casserole
