In India, medical care is seeing a new face!
A Five Star face!
When a wealthy patient calls in sick, it isn’t enough to plop him on a king-size bed and get a bevy of good doctors to fuss over him. Medical care in the country is going extreme.
Starting with room tariffs that can put the best luxury hotels to shame, private hospitals are adopting the best practices in hospitality to satisfy the whims of the truly demanding. For instance, some hospitals provide pick up and drop patients in luxury cars. Others whip up gourmet fare for those who are fussy about their meals.
And there is a veritable technology arms race, with Wi-Fi enabled suites, extra-large LED TV sets and ultra modern gadgets all vying for the attention of an unwell CEO, a minister, or just someone with a packed wallet who would want to run his office from the superlative comfort of his hospital room. A luxury hospital group, for instance, has a few Rs 30,000-a-night suites that can house the patient and his entourage in luxury with interpreters, personal attendants, a well-stocked pantry and the works.
Similarly, a suite in an ultra luxurious hospital facility in South Delhi will set one back by around Rs 37,000 for one night. At that price, one can stay at The Oberoi, New Delhi, for two nights. A presidential suite in one of the Mumbai’s high-end hospital costs Rs 30,000. Seven Hills Hospital, where Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan gave birth to her child, charges Rs 20,000 for a suite. And the tariffs don’t include medical charges. A two-day all-inclusive childbirth package at Fortis La Femme can go up to Rs 4-5 lakh.
That’s the glitz and glamour of these 5 star properties which, not everyone can afford, but the story doesn’t end there.
Below are some dirty truths of Five Star Hospitals In India discovered by our team, that actually blew our mind!
Hospital Staff Places Bet On Outcomes
According to a hospital-staff, some common bets made by nurses and trainee physicians include “guess the cholesterol level” or even betting on outcomes of high-risk surgeries and procedures. Sometimes actual money changes hands.
Demanding Patients Are Punished Without Even Knowing
Some doctors and nurses use penalizing medicine. Examples of this practice include using larger-than-necessary needles to give patients a lesson. Unnecessary restraints like tasteless food and no television (on the pretext of health and medical need) for patients who talk back or display the authority of their money.
Nurses Document Everything on Medical Charts
Most nurses record everything in patient charts, including if a patient is aggressive or a family member is making problems. If a patient later sues the hospital, the documented evidence can diminish the patient’s credibility and there is no charge on the hospital.
Sometimes Alcohol Is Used As A Medication
Patients who have a history of alcohol abuse may sometimes be given alcohol as medication to prevent alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Shots of alcohol are injected into the bloodstream to relax the nerves for a while.
Expensive Injections Are Ordered Unnecessalrily
When the patient is getting better and there is actually no need for injections costing 3,000 to 30,000, they are still recommended and added to the bill, bought from hospitals registered pharmacy, and sold back, unused.
Lower Staff Are Instructed To Give Some Patients A Better Experience Than Others
Luxury hospitals across the country treat VIPs better than the average patient. This may involve deluxe and expanded private rooms, better food and one-on-one special nursing. Many hospitals reserve a couple of patient rooms, if not an entire floor, to care for celebrities, donors, politicians and other high-profile officials. The special care for these individuals can sometimes detract from that delivered to the rest of the patients. While medical professionals are taught to treat each patient as an important person and to give our best care to each one of those patients, these hospitals walk over this totally and make sure that they get hefty tips from rich and influential. The connections that they make with such patients, go a long way, even after the treatment.
So folks, next time when you are planning to get a loved one admitted to a five star hospital facility, beware of some of the hidden facts, along with the truckloads of money you would be paying them.
