Are we secure medically as a nation, how does Modern Healthcare touch lives and are we aware of it?

India is a pretty young nation with having completed just 66 years of independence.  Considering the fact that USA and other developed nations are far more mature to us in practically everything from human rights to medical treatment, we are lucky to have these nations as our allies in medical field.  Because as we are growing you will find the day and age of us die of natural causes is way past us.  That 99 percent of Indians will die of some ailments is a simple truth.  Gone are the days when you died a natural death, if you look around you you will find that all around you there is some kind of sickness .  Added to that the pressure cooker style of life we live, where we start our day with immense stress to end our day with sleeping pills only adds to the requirement of a good medical infrastructure in India.  

However, if you step outside in the streets you will find that each and every hospital in India is now named as a "super speciality" "multi speciality" or even "super specialized multi hospital" when in reality they do not even have capable doctors or the facilities on their panel.  Frankly I do not know how they are certified or how they put their names thus.  

In this scenario, considering the hyper stress full life we live in, we should be aware of true and genuine good hospitals giving out best treatment in India.  It is true that India has developed medically leaps and bounds due to key reforms in the medical sector including opening up of the sector.   And along with the low fees being charged by Indian hospitals compared to the western facilities it make a good sense to get your and your near and dear ones treated here.

Even the Middle Eastern and Asians come to India for medical treatment given the expertise and low cost benefits they incur.  A Knee replacement operation cost comparision is given below

Country	UK sterling price including hospital and doctors’ fees	US dollar equivalent	Percentage saving on UK price
UK	£9,500	$16,625
Bulgaria	£2,784	$4,872	71%
Cyprus	£6,842	$11,974	28%
Estonia	£5,410	$9,468	43%
France	£7,300	$12,775	23%
Germany	£6,500	$11,375	32%
India	£3,602	$6,304	62%
Norway	£7,800	$13,650	18%
Panama	£6,152	$10,766	35%
Poland	£4,770	$8,348	50%
Portugal	£8,500	$14,875	12%
Slovakia	£9,546	$16,706	0%
Spain	£7,666	$13,416	19%
Thailand	£4,816	$8,428	49%
Tunisia	£3,600	$6,300	62%
Turkey	£4,100	$7,175	57%
Venezuela	£4,870	$8,523	49%

In this graph you will find that India, Bulgaria and Tunisia are cheaper by as much as 60 to 70 % over the UK price however the other issue is security.  India offers a very good, secure and world class facility along with easy travel norms.  So if so many foreigners are coming to India, why should Indians go out to seek medical treatment at three times the cost excluding the airfare and domicile charges.  It makes no sense.

The medical field in India has grown leaps and bounds since the entry of the corporations in the Hospice business.  Few can match the expertise and costs benefits that these good Indian hospitals give you.  Add to that they have the latest equipment and a very capable team of internationally acclaimed doctors.  So much so that even citizen of the US prefer to get their treatment done here.

Among the corporate hospitals, Apollo Hospital Group stands out.  With branches in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Mysore, Vizag among other cities this group fast expanding group has spread out all over India.  With best medical facilities and corporate style transparent structure the group has already made a name for itself.  It even has international branches in Dhaka and Mauritius.  You can visit its website to know about details here.

The dream of a ideal, stress free life is just a dream in today's hyper polluted environment.  Therefore it is always healthy to know the best of the best medical facilities you have.  In many cases when a emergency occurs in a family, because we love the dear one who needs treatment, we tend to rush him or her to the nearby nursing home or hospital.  This has happened to me and it may have happened to you.  More often than not, you will find that the nursing home or hospital is not competent to handle the emergency and then you have to shift to a good hospital.  Therefore it is always useful to know about the best medical facilities along with the equipment and doctors they have so you can rest assured that your near and dear one is a good hands.

This are my views and your views may differ, please write in your comments on this article and help me help others.  If you are interested in Op-ed pages click here

Vijay Prabhu