A non-existent system of regulation allows unscrupulous profiteers to mint money from private sector hospitals, which comprise nearly 80 per cent of India’s healthcare infrastructure
IT’s like a patient with a long list of underlying pathologies and overt symptoms. To say there’s a crisis in Indian healthcare would be to state a truism: we need sharper points of diagnosis. The private sector covers about 80 percent of India’s healthcare. Its energies, and the capital it infuses to keep things state-of-the-art, are a boon in a resource-scarce country. But must its profiteering instincts get so far ahead of its ethics that it starts showing up like a beeping red line on the monitor?
When the prices of cardiac stents and orthopaedic implants were capped earlier in 2017 after some sustained media focus, it drew attention to the systematic “loot” that had been going on, particularly in corporate hospitals. Now, a spate of tragic deaths—accompanied by unconscionably high bills, often running into lakhs—is pointing to another area of darkness. Three days before Christmas, a police complaint was lodged against a top private hospital in Gurgaon—after 22 days of treatment for dengue and a Rs 16 lakh bill, seven-year-old Shaurya Parmar lay dead. Before that, the case of Adya Singh (also seven, also dengue, also Rs 16 lakh) had already brought a probe against another Gurgaon hospital. Then a newborn was delivered in a plastic packet, erroneously declared dead, by a Delhi hospital. It’s not just about quality not matching costs. Is a routinised way of profiteering—tests and lines of treatment on which patients are often hazy—actually bringing a kind of deadly sloth and uncaring?
Denne historien er fra January 15, 2018-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 15, 2018-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Pillars of Viksit Bharat 2024
The Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047' represents a complete blueprint for the country’s prosperity during its Amrit Kaal towards attaining resolutions made for Aatmanirbhar Bharat’
Innovation in Healthcare Products
Vatsal Desai pioneering the path to healthier living in a growing India
A Master Weaver of Heart Health
In the intricate tapestry of interventional cardiology, Dr Vashisth Das stands out as a master weaver, deftly navigating the delicate threads of life and technology to mend hearts and restore hope
Viksit Bharat 2047: Empowering India through Education & Self-Reliance
As India approaches 2047, the centenary of its independence, the dream of a “Viksit Bharat” – a fully developed, selfsufficient, and inclusive nation – is steadily turning into reality.
Revolutionising New Age Learning
A visionary leader and an educationist par excellence, GS Patnaik shares with the Outlook Group his approach towards driving Value-based and holistic learning initiatives
Pioneering Social Transformation
Achyuta Samanta dedicated to bringing about social change through education and social services for people at the grassroots level
A Vision for Developed India
The concept of Viksit Bharat” Developed India) embodies the aspiration for a prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable India. The framework for achieving this ambitious but achievable goal, in my opinion, can be articulated through some key pillars that serve as the foundation for national progress
Chasing Dreams Relentlessly
For the young and aspiring youth, Manu Bhaker is a fine example of how hard work and perseverance can help achieve set targets
Standing Tall as a Pillar in Healthcare Sector
As technology is advancing and there is an upsurge in medical sciences, Yashoda Hospital is keeping up to its promise of providing top tier healthcare services using specialised and advanced medical technologies and equipment.
Upholding/Strengthening India's 'Viksit Bharat' Dreams
Landmark Crafts Pvt. Ltd., Ghaziabad, Delhi-NCR, is a flourishing enterprise where necessity, keen identification of agap and the right timing of launching HP Self-Drilling Screws in 1995, backed by grit, is a perfect recipe of a success story that pioneered an industry. Mr Pankaj Lidoo and MrVipin Lidoo, Directors of the company, hailing from Kashmir, have set their target to achieve India's dream of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 with visionary zeal