With ill-equipped government-run hospitals turning out to be dens of corruption and inefficiency, "We, the People" were driven to private clinics, nursing homes and hospitals. The underlying assumption was that they would be cleaner, better equipped, better staffed and, on the whole, more trustworthy, albeit for a few rupees more.
But the Rahul Mahajan–Vivek Moitra case turns the spotlight on the real state of private hospitals. The waffling of the doctors, the contradictory reports that they have submitted, the obstruction of justice all point to a tendency to play along. Other controversies like the V. Chandrashekhar case and the 'Murasoli' Maran case only muddy the picture even more.
Questions: Are private hospitals betraying the trust of the people? Are super-speciality hospitals with their own sophisticated corruption (one Delhi hospital Delhi charges Rs 25 lakh for a post-graduate job; upto Rs 1 crore for a room with a name-plate) just a big business? If they can tailor reports to meet specific needs, can we trust them with our lives? Or, are we being cruel and presumptuous?
hi guys,
i just read the justification by the readers editor. i think the hindu is in a a sorry state of affairs. do u guys know any other blogs and websites which are anti-hindu .
krishna
Krishna Prabhugale,
Private hospitalgu readers editor gu yen sambhanda? neevu bariddidu Hindu paper ge sambhandha pattidu?? aa vishya na illi yaake?
I dont think all private hospitals would fall into this category but the fact is
Super speciality and other hitech hospitals are out of reach for the common man. These hospitals are pro-rich. Unfortunately, make more money seems to be the main motto.
I know of severl cases involving high-teck hospitals whose advice is tailored to make up for the heavy investments made and at the drop of the hat suggest costly tests and not at all relevant to the disease of the patient. They play with the life of the patients and scare them out of their wits and forced to undergo operations not at all neded. In fact the second opinion has saved their life. Since I write to papers people in Mysore have come to me telling lurid tales of wrong diagnosis asking me to write. I can not stick my neck out for the simple reason all the cards are held by the doctors and apart from errors of judgement if they make a mistake other doctors gang up. More ovr to get all the relevant reports which are kept in the hospital is virtually impossible. It is in the rarest of rare cases people follow doggedly and even so the cases where the doctors are held guilty are miniscicule. I wrote a detailed article titled ‘Horrors of high-tech hospitals where I narrated the case of my friend suffering from Gullian Barre Syndrome who was saved by a second opinion. I guess fianlly we have to surrender ourselves to the hands of God and trust that when the patient is destined to live the treatment will be effective as mentioned in a book titled ‘Tao of death’ written by three doctors. Yes there are good doctors but unfortuantely their number is dwindling
well everyone has a right to speak and with Article 19 (1) of the Constitution of India granting us with the Freedom of Speech and Expression, we think we can say anything. But, have you for once visited the great KR hospital in Mysore or any other Government Hospital? We may comment on any thing that is done in a Private Hospital and the main reason why we say these things is that we always assume that Private Hospitals charge more. Lets face it. They give good treatment. Yes. Even I had met with an accident and I had a Head injury. I was unconscious for two days. I woke up to find the best treatment. I am not sorry but I am only thankful for the Apollo BGS hospital, Mysore for having saved my life. Before being admitted to Apollo, I had been taken to BM hospital in Hunsur road. But, for almost 2 hours I was not given any attention nor any treatment. As my friends and parents tell me, It seems that I had been put on some cot in a (so called) emergency room and not even administered a drip… How can we expect people to come out alive from such hospitals? The police are now bringing accident cases to Apollo Mysore because they too have realised the sorry state of affairs of KR Hospital and BM Hospital.
Even my Father was admitted in February 2006 for a Heart Attack, along with my sister who had a spine injury. They both were also treated well. But for the treatment received if we refuse to pay, then that is the sorry state of our minds. We always expect to be treated for say 1000 Rs or 10000 Rs. How do you think this can be done? Try going to a Government hospital and you will end up paying more bribe than the Private hospital bill for the same treatment. How can you be expect to be alive going to such places?
Just because we hear someone say it or read some article doesn’t mean that everything we hear or read is true! We have to feel it.