Private Healthcare in India - Emergency Care

As I travel around in Delhi, I can see just how many private hospitals and clinics there are. I am currently in the Emergency Department of one of them.

According to one of the Drs only 0.3% of India's 1.3 billion population has private health insurance.

So, what happens when you arrive in the emergency department:

1 - If you are involved in an RTA, are poisoned, attempt suicide or assaulted you become a medico-legal case. These are all reported to the police and then 2 fingerprints are taken.

If you come in for any other reason then you go any pay at the reception desk. I haven't been able to find out the finer details for this as different people seem to pay different amounts when they arrive. They then show the Dr the receipt.

2 - You are seen by a Dr. There is no waiting to see a Dr as there are 5 per shift dedicated to the emergency department. Nurses cannulate you and the Dr tells them if you need a blood sugar, bloods or an ECG. Every procedure is documented so you can be charged for it.

3 - If you need medication or a dressing then you go with the order and buy this from the hospital pharmacy.You then come back with everything you need for the intervention and give it to the staff, who then administer the drug or do your dressing.

4 - You may get seen by a speciality Dr. The emergency Dr's like to do this as then consulting fees can be added to your bill. If you need an ECHO, ultrasound or x-ray and can pay for it then you go straight away. If your insurance doesn't cover you or there are issues paying then these will wait until you are admitted.

5 - If you are admitted you have to take a form to admissions and get allocated a bed in the hospital. There aren't really any speciality wards and you chose from a VIP room, double or 4 bed room.

If you are discharged  then your bill is calculated. It costs 850 rupees an hour to be in the emergency department and 200 rupees to be cannulated (this is basic cannulation without a tray, which means no flush, no special one way valve, just clean the skin and insert the cannula). A whole cannulation tray costs 1000 rupees.

At this point a lot of people seem to self discharge at this point as they cannot afford a hospital admission.

The Golden Triangle

One of the things I would recommend is to visit the Golden Triangle, consisting of Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. Our trip was arranged and we were provided with a guide at each location. The current exchange rate is approx. 80 Rupees to £1

 

JAIPUR

In Jaipur we visited Amber Fort. Elephant rides are a very popular way of getting up to the Fort, but this is only possible in the morning and comes with quite a queue. You ride side saddle in pairs along the edge of the drop, so you get a stunning view. There is a 21km wall - the 3rd longest in the world surrounding this and 2 other forts in Jaipur. There is a cost of 500 Rupees entry, unless you have a student card, which makes it a lot less, but the elephant ride cost is separate to this.

Inside Amber Fort

Amber Fort

There are also a few places to add as photo stops: palace in the lake and the palace of winds. The latter being a building with lots of windows, where women would stand to watch processions and life below as women were not supposed to be seen.

Palace in the lake

Palace of Winds

Jaipur is also a very good place for shopping and specialises in semi-precious stones and there are lots of places to buy clothes and textiles.

You can also visit City Palace, home of the King for 500 Rupees, or less if you have a student card. There is limited areas where you can take photos inside and if the little flag is up it means the King is there. Apparently if you pay extra you can go and see him.

We also visited a place called Monkey Temple, just outside Jaipur. It is 50 Rupees to use a camera and the guide helps you with the monkey, who you can feed (food may cost extra). The guide was brilliant and made sure the monkeys didn't get aggressive. They are wild monkeys who come in from the surrounding rocky hills. It doesn't appear to be a functioning temple, but is full of 2 different monkey species, all of which you can feed. The guide was key in helping anxious people (like me) enjoying the experience of feeding monkeys in this beautiful setting.

AGRA
The first thing we did was go to see the Taj Mahal. We were there before 8am and even then it was quite busy. As a foreigner you pay 1000 Rupees for a ticket, which includes free shoe covers to wear in the mausoleum, a bottle of water and a ride on an electric car down to the monument and back. It is the tomb of Mumtaz, 3rd wife of Shah Jahan (Mogal King). It is built of white marble and the whole complex is symmetrical. It is currently in the process of being cleaned, so parts of it are under scaffold. It is an amazing piece of architecture.

 

Taj Mahal

We also went to Agra fort, which is built from a mixture of red sandstone and white marble. You can see the Taj Mahal from it as well which allows you to see the Taj Mahal from a different angle. It is 550 Rupees entry, but if you have your ticket from the Taj Mahal it is only 500 Rupees. Part of the fort is still used by the army, so it is not fully open to the public but you take photos everywhere.

Agra Fort

DELHI

I have covered some of Delhi in my previous post, so this is about the places I have been to since my last post. There is so much to see in Delhi and so much beautiful architecture to see.

The lotus temple is a Baha'i house of worship; built in the design of a lotus flower with a grand total of 27 petals and surrounded by 9 pools of water. It seats 1300 people and has no imagery inside as it is a place of prayer and meditation for those of any faith. Baha'i faith is an independent world religion, aiming to unite the people of the world into one cause and one common faith.

Lotus Temple

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb is on a complex with other grand tombs and burials and costs 500 rupees to enter. The tomb itself is 47m high with a 6m gold plated fixture at the top. It is built of red sandstone and predates the Taj Mahal. It was built by the wife of the Moghul emperor following his death.

Qutub Minar is also 500 rupees for entry to the complex containing the 72.5m tower. It is built on a site where Hindu temples were destroyed and a Mosque built in its place. Most of the site is ruins, but the tower is complete and towers high above you. There is also an iron pillar which has not rusted which is an interesting addition.


Qutub Minar

 

There are also a whole range of Hindu temples which you can visit, along with a Sikh temple and the Red Fort. Most of these are accessible from the metro, with or without a ride on a tuk tuk to get you to the entrance. It is a city with so much to explore and discover, including museums and parks.

The Golden Triangle has so much to offer and is definitely worth exploring if you are in the north of India. The architecture alone is amazing and worthy of seeing in a busy schedule.

Delhi

I have arrived in Dehli!!! Oyster Worldwide have been great and very involved in getting me here, with lots of support and advise/information before I left. I would recommend them as a company to volunteer through.

There are a grand total of 10 of us in the flat, all on different projects. I got taken out to buy a SIM card which was an experience in a questionable basement. They copy your passport and VISA and you need to give them a passport photo in exchange for a SIM card, then wait 24 hours for it to activate so you can then ring a number to make it function. They seem to deduct quite a lot in tax, so I would advise topping up with a decent amount of money.

We have braved Indian roads in auto-rickshaws to go to Iskcal temple:

We have also been to Lakshmi Narain and Akshardham Temples, the latter holding a Guinness world record for being the largest Hindu Temple in the world. Arksharham opened in 2005 after 5 years of building and is a must see. The intricate carvings on the 234 pillars and ceilings and 148 elephant sculptures surround it are absolutely stunning. Entry to both was free, but you are not allowed to take cameras or mobile phones into the temples. The security is very tight on this and there are places to deposit your things and shoe-cloakrooms for your shoes before you enter. 



Laxmi Narain

Akshardam

I have also been to the world war 1 memorial, known as India Gate. It is an arch at the centre of a roundabout with the names of those killed carved into its walls. It was quite a busy place and the surrounding road is also very busy.

India Gate

Indian roads are interesting - lots of horns blaring, weaving lanes, barely and indicators and as one of the others said "aggressive driving needs aggressive pedestrians," especially if you want to cross the road.