How do you evaluate a good hospital? Is it the nice building, front elevation, or the grand interiors that make a good hospital? Are these things important? Not at all. The most attractive doctor is not the most competent doctor. Similarly, the best looking hospital is not the best for medical treatment. But today, many people are looking at fancy features of hospitals and thinking that they are good.
The colour/sticker of a cricket bat does not make it good. People look at the performance of the bat – not the sticker. Unfortunately, when it comes to healthcare, people are looking at the outside glitter and are getting habituated to overspending in grand corporate hospitals. Some of them even feel embarrassed if they don’t go to corporate hospitals. They consider relatively unknown or not big names as cheap and ordinary.
Medically, how fancy hospitals can be better? Will display, decoration or colour of the building change the way they treat patients? Do unusual symbols, serious advertising signify quality? Remember, interior designing, fancy construction is done by established contractors. It does not mean that hospital or doctor is good. The doctor is not trained on the philosophy of art – he is trained on something else. Moreover, the equipment used in a hospital can be expensive, but need not be fancy. Still, why people go to these hospitals seeing these fancy things? Why they overspend?
Medical treatment is not same as latest movie
Brand new hospital is actually a problem – a big investment, EMIs, chits, money lenders to pay, cost angle, systems are not set, teams do not coordinate well, best doctors not yet established. Over a period of time, teams and systems will form.
Fearful people get exploited
People in our country get emotional even for minor illnesses and go to hospital instead of going to a clinic. They go to these fancy hospitals which look like a Taj Mahals and by seeing the ambience, they will be afraid to speak. All this is part of sales spin of the corporate hospitals.
Commercial hospitals exploit trust based on expertise and promote unnecessary treatments and surgeries. They create hype, overcharge and grow quickly. They overemphasize the benefits of expensive procedure, underemphasize the benefits of affordable procedure and overemphasize the limitations of affordable procedure. Their ultimate aim is to maximize the billing – whether the person requires or not, they will ask to go for certain tests or treatment.
Sensible educated will not go to fancy hospitals
We do not say that everybody goes to these fancy corporate hospitals. A lot of enlightened middle class do not go to corporate hospitals – no good politician goes there. Many educated people prefer medical institutes. People, typically with mind-set of an uneducated business trader with “I don’t care” attitude, and those who do not have any medical awareness will opt them and consequently face the hospital overcharges.
A good doctor does not overcharge
Somebody who is a good doctor does not overcharge. An ethical doctor cannot go and work at a fancy corporate hospital. The mentality of Red Cross society is service-oriented. Whereas, commercial hospitals have punish mentality – they exploit the weakness of others.
Hospitals should make money, but should not make surplus ridiculously. Medicine is a noble profession – it’s not just money-making business. Doctors take Hippocratic Oath swearing to practice medicine ethically. They cannot exploit people using their expertise.
Hospital is not a tourist attraction
All that glitters is not gold. People need to understand that hospital is not tourist attraction that needs to be grand and spectacular. It’s a place that involves treatment of diseases and medical ailments. Great looking hospital means hospital can maintain good buildings.
Hospital needs to be well maintained, serving people, advising people, knowing not do harm – not fancy. A good hospital’s priority is cleanliness of the hospital; the technical and procedural competence of staff; the knowledge and commitment of the doctors and paramedics to patients’ welfare.
If people do not appreciate good hospitals and continue to overspend in fancy commercial hospitals, good ones will vanish.