Mumbai: In a bizarre turn of events which has become the talk of the healthcare sector, the management of city’s Quackdoc Multispeciality Hospital has directed its doctors to carry a menu card with a price list for all the services, specializations, investigations, consultation, procedure, surgery, etc along with a calculator for totaling, while interacting with patients.
The hospital has already grabbed headlines in the past for its ridiculous treatment, glorified quacks on its panel, open cuts to referring doctor, false radiology & pathology reports, false bills & insurance claims, surgeries / angiography / angioplasty in cases where they are not indicated, etc. The new recommendations have meanwhile been slammed by the Quack Doctor’s Association of India, for making the learned quacks look like ‘waiters’ than doctors in front of the unsuspecting patients.
It is a common practice for most patients (Its true !! - English Speaking, educated people) and their relatives coming to big corporate hospital to ask the attending doctor itself the cost of each investigation, total bill, etc in spite of the presence of executive staff at the front office outside each department. Trade pundits believe that such measures, if successful will hit the healthcare industry hard as more corporate hospitals might follow suit to this unique game changing and cost effective plan.
Our Gupt Samwadata Ratna Johari spoke to the hospital CEO (Chief Executive O’Mama) Arun Swaminathan, “It is important that we give the patient an exact figure of the amount they will be spending at our esteemed world class hospital. It has been our practice and policy over the years that every single Rupee of the insurance claim amount should be used up before the patient is referred to higher center. Our hospital is known for its excellent services and such measures of doctors carrying a menu card will only make the doctor patient relationship more transparent, thereby improving patient satisfaction”, he said with an expected -wicked top brass’ smile.
Whether the new services become hit or not with the patients or their relatives, only time will tell. But unconfirmed plans of the hospital to soon start ‘Great Dhamaka Treatment’ at large discounts (*Conditions Apply) on few days during the year has already sent the industry in a tizzy.
