After my several days of misery (well detailed in the blog here), I decided it would be foolhardy for me to spend two full days sight seeing in a non-air-conditioned bus. I still have not fully recovered and sleeping at night continues to be a bit of a chore. Rather than just hang around at the hotel for two days, I decided to go to Bangalore. My parents (and kids) are visiting there and my mom insisted I go to a doctor to get some antibiotics. So, I took a cab and headed to Bangalore late last night (getting here around 1 AM this morning). After a flat tire on the way, it still wasn’t too bad to make the trip in a little less than three hours. I continued to cough through the night and struggle with breathing, but hopefully the doctor will give me some miracle drug this morning.
So, I went across the street with my uncle to the world-famous "Manipal Hospital" to see a doctor about my cold/cough/flu. This is supposed to be one of the more fancy and expensive hospitals in town. Here's exactly how it went down.
I went to the "Registration Desk" at about 11 AM and asked to see an ENT (ear, nose throat) doctor for my flu/sinus problem. I was asked to fill out a short form and turn it in to the desk. The lady quickly entered my basic details (name, age, sex, address, etc.) into the computer and asked me to verify the details on the large monitor facing me (she had a smaller monitor facing her desk). Since I was a completely new registrant (never been to the hospital before), I was asked to pay Rs. 150 as a one-time registration fee and Rs. 350 for the doctor consultation fee, which I did. I was told that the Rs. 350 doctor consultation fee covered me for all consultations with the doctor within the next seven days. I would not have to pay for a return visit within the next week. She then printed out a nice plastic hospital ID card for me and sent me to the ENT department upstairs. Total elapsed time: about 10 minutes.
When I handed my ID card to the ENT department desk upstairs, I was told that I was on the list and it would be about 45 minutes before my name was called. My uncle and I went for a stroll around the hospital and checked out the departments, the stores, and the various other hospital services offered. We were back in the ENT department in about 30 minutes. After about another 25 minutes (approx 12:00 noon), my name was called and I headed into a room with one large chair (like a dentist's chair) in the center and an important-looking doctor sitting in front. Around him were clustered several other doctors or nurses with clipboards. The nurse asked me to sit in the chair and face the doctor. He looked at me and asked what the problem was in a business-like fashion. I told him, in a few seconds. He asked if I had taken any medication and I said "Yes, Sinarest." He picked up a few instruments and looked down my throat, up my nostrils, and felt around my neck, all the while dictating medical terms which a couple of the surrounding doctors quickly jotted down. Then he glared at me and announced "you have a sinus infection and your taking Sinarest made it worse! I need to see an X-Ray to decide what antibiotics to prescribe. Go downstairs to get an X-Ray and come back." I was ushered out in all of about 1-2 minutes and a new patient was in the chair almost before I left the room. One of the many minions hovering around the doctor followed me out and filled out an X-Ray request sheet and asked me to go down to Floor -1. These doctors must see hundreds of patients a day and seem to be freed from almost all responsibilities except diagnosis and follow-up treatment. By this time, it was about 12:15 PM.
I headed down to X-Ray and handed in my sheet. She took it without a word and entered it into the computer. She then said that the X-Ray fee was Rs. 170 and that I should pay at one of the cash counters and come back. I walked to one of the many cash counters around the hospital, and just handed my plastic card. Since the X-Ray request was already in the computer, he just said "Rs. 170" which I paid. He stamped "PAID" on my form after taking my money. I returned with the evidence of payment and she just waved her hand towards the seating area. None of this took much time despite Saturday being a particularly busy day for the hospital. Within about 10 minutes a lady called my name and I followed her into the X-Ray room where I was asked to sit on a stool and face an X-Ray screen with my mouth wide open. By this time, it was about 12:55 PM. When I came back out to the seating area, I was told it would be about 30-40 minutes before my film was ready. It was about 1:30 before my film arrived and I headed back up to the doctor. Unfortunately, the ENT department was all closed by this time and the place was manned by a single "emergency doctor" who was being harried by all the people who wanted her attention all at once. When we explained that we had already seen the doctor, she asked me to sit down while she dealt with several other people with a huge variety of requests. Finally, she called the doctor on the phone and described my X-Ray (along with a few other patients) and took rapid notes with several "yes sirs" sprinkled in. After dealing with another horde of impatient customers, she called me up and told me that I had some sinus congestion and that I should go on an antibiotic (Augmentin) for 7 days, use a painkiller (Dolo) for 3 days, and use Otrivin nasal drops before a steam inhalation three times a day. She wrote out the prescription and I headed to the pharmacy. At the pharmacy, we were handed a token number which was called in about 15 minutes. I was asked to pay Rs. 620 for the drugs (of which Rs. 520 was for the Augmentin antibiotic) which I then picked up at a counter around the corner. We headed out of the hospital at about 2:30 PM. The doctor had asked me to schedule another appointment with the doctor in about a week. Maybe I'll see him again on the 17th if things are not much better by then.
Overall, for someone with no history or record with this private hospital, everything seemed to go smoothly with "pay-as-you-go" services that did not seem exorbitant. I now have a nice plastic hospital card and can even see the doctor again before I leave Bangalore without paying another office fee. From the hospital's standpoint, they got a Rs. 150 new registrant fee and a Rs. 350 office visit fee for all of about 5-8 minutes of the doctor's time. And believe me when I say this doctor probably sees many more patients a day than the typical US doctor. All in all, it was a great visit. I also got the details on their numerous "maintenance check" packages for my next trip here. For Rs. 5000 (about $125) I can have a comprehensive check-up including blood tests, stress tests, eye checks, dental checks, etc. that take up most of a day and include a concluding consultation with a doctor.
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4 comments:
It interesting to read your first hand experience of the hospital. It seems affordable to us - but what if it were 6-8x more expensive (purchasing power parity)? Would you feel the same way then?
It's an interesting thought as we in the US debate on a new healthcare system.
Did your international healthcare cover anything?
Hope you're feeling better!
It was only cheap when converting it to US$. My uncle kept telling me that this is considered a fairly expensive hospital. Also, there are a lot of little psychological hints that made me uncomfortable - the Dr. not wearing gloves. No indication that the tongue-depresser he put in my mouth was sterilized, doctors discussing medical histories with patients openly in the hallways, etc. There are a lot of things that US consumers would NOT accept from a consumer behavior perspective and so the costs in the US would inevitably be much higher.
I will submit my receipts when I get back and see what gets covered. Last night, my sinuses felt fine, but I had a bad cough. I hope that will get better soon with the antibiotics.
Hello Rajiv,
I chanced upon your blog while browsing on Mysore. It's interesting to read your thorough coverage of your visit to the most popular and prestigious hospital in my city, but what I would like to understand better is your tone - are you saying you were satisfied with the experience, treatment and results, or otherwise is there a hidden ironical tone somewhere?
FYI, a visit to an equally qualified doctor not associated with such a big hospital in the city could have been more effective in all 3 aspects I spoke above for 1/3rd the medical fees you had to shell out! That's where I am coming from.
Madhu:
There was no intended irony at all. I was very impressed with the speed with which things were handled and the seeming efficiency of the process (the most expensive resource - the doctors - spend jst the bare minimum time with the patients. The tone was more of a wonderment about how significantly different the process and expectations are in the US.
Of course, when looking at "value" (what you get for the money paid), it was fantastic.
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