India continues to progress in every field, be it education or health. While healthcare facilities are constantly expanding, the cost of treatment is also skyrocketing. The better the treatment, the more expensive the bill. Although this problem is rare in government hospitals, and the government also provides free treatment for many ailments, most people prefer to seek treatment in private hospitals.
They believe that the larger the building or the more facilities available, the better the treatment. While this thinking isn’t wrong, every person who is sick wants to be treated in a good place and thoroughly. However, a recent survey revealed that a large number of people are raising questions about private hospital bills and treatment methods. People say that private hospitals often perform more tests than necessary to extract more money, and the bill doesn’t clearly state what the tests are for. Let’s find out what the real issue is.
Government survey data also clearly shows that private hospitals cost significantly more than government hospitals. According to the National Sample Survey, the average cost of treating the same illness in a government hospital is ₹6,631, while in a private hospital, this cost rises to ₹50,508.
This means that even basic treatment is 5 to 10 times more expensive in private hospitals than in government hospitals. This is because they scare patients and order more tests to extract more money. However, if the illness is serious, the patient is put under even more pressure. For serious illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease, private hospital bills can reach lakhs of rupees, making it difficult for the average person and the middle class to afford treatment.
The matter is not limited to this only, the biggest complaint of the people is that even among the medicines they get after getting treatment, there are many medicines which are not actually needed. Also, the information is not given clearly in the bill, only those things are written which the hospital wants to give to the patient, due to which the family of the patient is not able to understand for what so much money is being demanded. At least 68% people in India have raised questions on private hospitals and have said that many times, despite having insurance, the hospitals do not allow the full claim to be passed and the patient has to pay a lot of money from his own pocket.