Visitor charges at Hospitals - very unethical practice in India.
If you are staying in a Hotel and a guest comes to see you, the guest does not pay Visiting Charge at Reception desk. But in Indian Hospitals it is different.
Why is it that Indian Hospitals - including some large ones take visiting charges from patient's relatives? It is so embarrassing for relatives being stopped by security asking for visiting pass. You then walk to the reception desk and pay Rs. 10 to get a pass. No ids asked, no information even requested on whom you are going to visit. Just an unethical way of collecting funds.
They may as well run a fund raising campaign or ask charity rather than collect such amounts.
Besides, these are cash transactions and never reported in books. And the monthly collection is so high that it easily pays at least 3 to 4 person's salaries.
What is community viewpoint on such charges from Hospitals?
Roshan
http://medicaltourismbootcamp.kosansh.com - Are you attending 10th January Medical Tourism Bootcamp in Ahmedabad?
Why is it that Indian Hospitals - including some large ones take visiting charges from patient's relatives? It is so embarrassing for relatives being stopped by security asking for visiting pass. You then walk to the reception desk and pay Rs. 10 to get a pass. No ids asked, no information even requested on whom you are going to visit. Just an unethical way of collecting funds.
They may as well run a fund raising campaign or ask charity rather than collect such amounts.
Besides, these are cash transactions and never reported in books. And the monthly collection is so high that it easily pays at least 3 to 4 person's salaries.
What is community viewpoint on such charges from Hospitals?
Roshan
http://medicaltourismbootcamp.kosansh.com - Are you attending 10th January Medical Tourism Bootcamp in Ahmedabad?
Tags: Ethics
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nasir Mahmood on -
Dear Roshan,
Definitly it should not, but here i will give reference of last article of Mr.Prem in which he asked for involvement of govt.
Rs.10- (0.23 $ almost) in fact is not big amout but at the end of the it can be a big figure and you are right then you can utilize that amout for big purpose like salaries of security persons, peons, office boys etc.
You raised good point but here actually needed some autorities's help, authorities can make policy and can take this issue under inquiry with the help of audit team/accountibility deptt. otherwise if they dont charge visitors, they can charge Rs.10- easily through any other charges of hospital's .
Regards, Nasir Mahmood
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Permalink Reply by Roshan Shah on -
Nasir,
Yes. It is not a question of Rs. 10. It is just so cheap for a hospital to charge such amounts unethically. And if one has to promote Medical Tourism, how will such things go with foreign patients.
Roshan
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Permalink Reply by Ashok Panda on -
Lets see the other perspective of this visitor's charge. Usually Indian hospitals are over crowded. Its a cultural thing here that when one family member is sick along with him 4-5 attendants come to the hospital and stay in the hospital and everyday 4-5 attendants come to see the patient.
Hospitals are unlike hotels.
Lesser hospital infection if lesser traffic.
Lesser the traffic lesser the hassles in patient mobility and other mobilization.
Here the healthcare workers need peace of mind and concentration rather than controlling the attendants.
Its a cultural thing for Indian crowd to have many attendants . So limit that this kind of regulations are put I think.
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Permalink Reply by Roshan Shah on
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Hi Ashok,
I don't think Rs. 10 will reduce the traffic of patient's visits. As far as overnight stay and visiting hours are concerned, they are already regulated by individual hospitals. Visitor charges just create embarassment.
People who have come to visit will anyway visit the patient unless hospitals have done survey and got proven results that Rs. 10 charge has helped in reduction of traffic.
Roshan
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Permalink Reply by Ashok Panda on
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Certainly it will not, but as you know, they start like that but when new issues come up the hospital administrative staff get entangled in that and forget main issue.I agree Rs.10 is not adequate to create substantial different , so more could be charged and made it legal or may have more stringent regulation that only patient checks in.
Yes the overnight regulations etc are still there, but compare Indian hospitals with other countries' hospitals performing well , average patient attendant ratio is 1:3 where as there the attendant ration might com down to 1:(x<1).
Yes some work needs to be done and they should find out whats the reason behind this Rs. 10 thing and find out the mechanism which demeans their stature just for Rs.10.
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Permalink Reply by Benosh Haris on -
Yes.. I think the visitor fees have been put into the works for the patients benefit rather than the hospitals. There are better ways of proving allegiance and care than disturbing a patient when he needs to rest and recuperate.
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Permalink Reply by Mubbashir on -
Dear Mr Roshan Shah,
Greetings from Kuala Lumpur.
I think, these sort of small issues shall not be discussed at this lever, as some people may take it wrong and think bad about Indian Hospitals. Just need to be bit careful. There are practices good and bad, but once we really go deep into them, then only we can make the right judgement about it being right or wrong. Mostly all these hospitals which you are talking about are run by very qualified and dignified people. I do not see any possibility that they will just implement Rs: 10 to get some quick money and ease their salary burden. I am sure it is more of a deterrent to rid from over crowding by visitors and unwanted guests. Or it may be some thing which you and me may not be able to figure out.
Mr Ashok has rightly suggested few reasons of this, and I agree its more of that sort of tactic.
More over, I do not think, that Indian Hospitals are any less ethical in practice of medicine and charges. They are equally civilized if not more than any one else in the world.
But these sort of small issues shall not come for discussion at this level.
My best wishes and regards,
MUbbashir
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Permalink Reply by Tejas on -
What Mr. Roshan probably was stating was about the embarrassing effect of this to a relative and not the charge. To that effect, this would be relevant as Medical Tourism facilities also has to deal with overall satisfaction.
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Permalink Reply by Roshan Shah on
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Dear Mr. Mubbashir,
I just brought this up as we had this question come up in recent case of "Domestic Tourism" when patient's relatives were gossiping about this charge and embarassing situations they had been through with the security who asked visitor pass. I instantly knew that hospital image is taking a beating for such trivial charge when they used the word "Hospital loot".
Matter is small for sure. Let us move on and let the hospital handle it. Let us leave it at that and close this thread.
Roshan
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Permalink Reply by Omkumar Krishnan on -
I feel this practice is more to control visitor traffic than as a revenue generation activity.
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Permalink Reply by Alejandra Bermea on -
Yet they claim to be cheaper and better for plastic Surgery.
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Permalink Reply by Ashok Panda on
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Ha ha ha, Now answer friends.
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