‘Private hospitals are for the rich’

Say patients who come to the Capital from other States seeking cheaper and reliable treatment at government-run hospitals

People from across India come to AIIMS for treatment. The families of patients usually have to camp outside the hospital premises.

Its tertiary healthcare centres among the best in the country, Delhi sees a massive rush of patients from other States seeking cheaper and reliable medical treatment here. While the long waiting list at the hospitals presents a big challenge, the patients and their attendants have braved many other hardships such as sleeping on the footpaths near the hospitals, staying away from home for long periods, repeated visits to the Capital and even standing in queues for “free food”.

However, the massive cost of treatment at private hospitals makes these inconveniences a necessity for them, they say.

Advanced healthcare

“Government hospitals in small towns and cities are unable to provide advanced healthcare which is available in metropolitan cities. The low costs at government hospitals are a boon for the underprivileged who cannot afford to spend a fortune on expensive treatments,” says 50-year-old Sualia Begum from Bareilly who underwent two surgeries in her city before seeking treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in April 2015.

Now for the last two years, Sualia, along with her sister-in-law, has been visiting the Capital almost every month for her treatment. “While these constant visits are inconvenient due to accommodation problems, the treatment is more affordable and effective,” says her son Mohd. Mohsin. The treatment, which has cost them approximately ₹1 lakh so far, is being paid for with the family’s income from their small lumber business.

Affordable cost

Deshraj Singh, a driver from Aliganj, Uttar Pradesh, whose wife Baijanti Devi suffers from intestinal cancer, has been staying on the footpath during his visits to Delhi for his wife’s treatment.

After spending approximately ₹3.75 lakh on her treatment in Agra and Lucknow, Deshraj consulted doctors in Delhi for a more effective treatment.

“At least with the government hospitals in Delhi we know that we aren't being cheated and that we aren't paying excessive charges that no poor man can afford. Private hospitals are for the rich,'' he says.

Another patient from Bareilly, 50-year-old Dharampal Sharma, is undergoing treatment for throat cancer in the Capital.

His son-in-law Harish Kumar says, “Due to lack of public hospitals in Bareilly, medical costs are extremely high. Hence, we decided to start my father-in-law’s treatment in New Delhi. In addition to effective healthcare, we receive the benefit of free medicines too.”

Vidyanand Jha, 34, who is undergoing kneecap treatment in New Delhi, has a similar story to share.

“We consulted several doctors in Allahabad and also underwent a short treatment which was very expensive and ineffective. His (Vidyanand’s) treatment in New Delhi has cost approximately ₹20,000 as opposed to ₹1 lakh in Allahabad,” says his father Anil Kumar Jha, who runs a small printing business. Unable to afford the high cost of treatment in Allahabad, he had to take loans from friends which he intends to repay by selling his property now.

More facilities

Sometimes people come to Delhi also because of the lack of facilities in their own State.

“Due to shortage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities in Muzaffarnagar, we sought treatment in New Delhi where the patient underwent chemotherapy,” says Saleem Salmani, a barber from Muzaffarnagar. He has been living at his relative’s house in Shahdara for around two months with his sister Farzana Salmani, who suffers from renal cancer.