Life by no means is a perfect circle. It is not even close to the circles I churned out when I got a grade “C” in geometry while in school. I am sure you would have figured out by now, but my math was as good as my knowledge of the Latin language.
In this circle of life is where “Murphy’s Law” plays its part in many ways and circumstances. It may be career, finances and loads of other problems known to mankind, which more often than not do have preventions and solutions if worked with a diligent mind. But the main obstacle which is almost impossible to overlook is the one concerning health issues. Well, this is where my audience, the part of the “Health Care Sector” shows out its ugly face behind a kind and smiling mask.
As a professional in the health care system, I always wondered the way corporate hospitals run the show and their sustainability strategies. I see my share broker friends investing heavily on the health sector as it yields high dividends and gives more value on selling them. I could never imagine the corporatisation of the health profession. Doctors I agree are not here for charity although a small section of them still do it for saving the grace of this so called “Noble” profession. Doctors also have mouths to feed and families to care and provide for. The point I want to make here is the question of ethical practice, where the intention is to benefit the needy more than making them crib and ponder over the costs incurred.
I would like to narrate an incident where a cousin of mine in India landed up at a fancy corporate hospital for a broken leg. It demanded surgical intervention and rightly so. But the bigger shock was the manner in which the bill for the expenses was generated. Although she was taken into the operation theatre only once and the surgery was performed at a single go, the different procedures of the surgical treatment were billed as three distinct surgeries. Although the anaesthesiologist, the surgeon and all the support staff played their part only once, the bill presented to her categorically stated that each of them be paid thrice! So the surgery cost went up by three times flat. This was an intriguing situation for her and she demanded an explanation for this. The reply given to her was that the insurance is paying for it, and why should she care as to what the bottom line reads? This is just one off real life example I have narrated. Other actions of prescribing an expensive drug because the company would give the doctor a fat payback when cheaper alternatives exist and unnecessary diagnostic procedures to recover the cost of expensive equipment are a few.
Now this opens up a whole new debate about these insurance companies. Since the insurance companies know that hospitals are going to manipulate the costs, they raise their premiums and add a few hundreds of clauses which have an explanation to every tricky question even Einstein could come up with. To augment the agony and to suck the policy holder silently but yet efficiently are the numerous hidden costs behind the Great Wall of China where it is virtually impossible to even imagine that a whole new equation lies behind it. I always wondered why business graduates from premier institutes were paid so high. Does it answer the same question which I am thinking about now?
Well the argument about whether the chicken came first or the egg still persists and it is hard to point a finger at one particular area. But the truth lies in the fact that the general public is getting ripped off their valuable and hard earned money due an unethical system which exists in our country presently.
Here is a situation where we see a vicious cycle of rising costs of insurance and health care expenditure. Health care to a society is one of the main issues which can make or break an economy and a nation. The human resource is one of the most important and strategic resources for a country like India where growth is driven by knowledge processes. With an unethical health care sector, the percentage of people who can afford quality health care is limited. Like medical education and most other needs which has become a luxury only for the rich, it alarms me that health care is also taking the same direction and its effects are already been felt.
Is there a way out to this? Not that I can think of at the moment. As a health professional, the only part I can play here is to endorse ethical practice and not to make my Hippocratic Oath in my graduation gown a formality for nice pictures. The vicious cycle has to be intercepted at some place and why not start from us.
Health care is a delicate and emotional area where hard core corporate rules of making more money and attracting a large number of share holders should not be the ulterior motive. Increasing volumes that have access to genuine care and making it affordable should be the goal. Churning out profits through legal and ethical means should be the path we should resolve to take.
Doctor 1- “Dr 2 bought a Mercedes Benz last week; I am still driving my 1 year OLD Skoda. NURSE! [He shouts], is that medical representative from the MNC drug company representative outside? Send him in and tell the patients to wait……..
