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.
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.
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