The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which plans to do away with user charges on diagnostic procedures, like blood tests and X-rays, which cost less than ₹500, has conducted a pilot study to justify its proposal.
The study comes in the wake of the Union Health Ministry prodding the premier medical institute to furnish information about reviewing user charges which have not been changed in the last 20 years.
The pilot study revealed that the patients had to spend a substantial amount in the form of cost for travel from the point of residence, cost of food and lodging for self and attendants and loss of income for the patients as well as for the attendants.
The study also stated that the patients encountered long queues for dates for prescribed investigations, for the payment of user charges and then for the investigations on the scheduled days.
‘Avoidable harassment’
The patients had to make multiple travels or visits for clinching each laboratory investigation which added to avoidable harassment and economical loss to the patients, the study stated.
According to the study, a patient from Delhi has to shell out ₹1,900 on every visit to AIIMS while those from outside the Capital on an average spend ₹4,300 per visit.
The study was conducted among 456 patients who visited the out-patient department of the hospital, out of which 234 were residents of Delhi while 222 were outsiders.
More than 95% of the patients were accompanied by attendants and over 25% of the patients were accompanied by two or more attendants. Among the interviewed patients, 63.8% of them had received a single consultation while 31.9% received multiple consultations.
