Costly outpatient services in corporate hospitals leave patients high and dry

Hans India

5 days ago

Hyderabad: Inflatedcosts of outpatient services offered by private hospitals are leaving patients high and dry, including those who may have already spent a fortune as in-patient in the same hospital. Upon discharge, many in-patients are referred to in-house doctors who offer outpatient services during specified hours within the hospital premises. A portion of the high fees of such doctors goes to the hospital.
This explains why they charge hefty sums ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 per visit. For other patients too, the same amount is charged by these in-house doctors, be they surgeons or physicians.
Such squeezing takes place in corporate hospitals across the city and elsewhere due to the state medical authorities' laxity in regulating this aberration. Due to the lack of regulatory oversight, managements of corporate hospitals are raking in the moolah unethically as if they are not accountable to anybody.
There was a time when outpatient services were economical than hospitalization, but now, due to now the rising charges, outpatient expenses are becoming a cause for concern for the common people. The hospitals are charging at least Rs 1,000 for normal OP services and amounts ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 for specialized consultations like cardiology, neurology, nephrology etc., depending on the size and 'brand value'of the hospital.
Insurance cover is normally for in-patient services. However, the charges for outpatient services are draining their financial resources. Aside from high registration charges, patients are forced to pay indiscriminate and excessive charges for a battery of diagnostic tests prescribed by doctors. The woes of the patients do not end at registration and consultations but continue while they move out of the hospitals in the form of prescription of medicines. That apart, the doctors in such hospitals prescribe medicines that are only available in their in-house pharmacies, which are costly compared to the prices in outside medical shops.
It may be mentioned here that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued guidelines asking doctors to prescribe drugs using generic names, avoid unnecessary medications and avoid irrational fixed dose combinations. The State Medical Councils have the authority to take disciplinary action against doctors who violate these regulations.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a PIL plea, had suggested the states to introduce a policy so that hospitals do not compel patients to buy essential medical items from in-house pharmacies at inflated rates. Judge Justice Surya Kant highlighted concerns over patients being left with no choice but to purchase medicines, implants and medical devices at exorbitant prices from hospital-linked pharmacies. The Court noted that regulations in private healthcare remain inconsistent, leading to potential exploitation. The petitioner had argued that the practice leads to blackmailing, depriving patients of their rights to have fair pricing.
K Shashikala (name changed), who wanted to see a senior endocrinologist for thyroid was asked to pay Rs 900 (Including 100 for registration) for walk-in consultation or Rs 1,000 for registration through phone. During their next visit to show their diagnostic report, they were asked to come to a corporate hospital if it was very urgent as the doctor provides the services there.
The patient postponed the visit for two-three days to avoid paying the registration fee in the corporate hospital.
When asked, a senior official from the Health Department, who did not want to be identified said that while the doctors have the right to prescribe the combinations as per the needs of the patients, the patients cannot be forced to take medicines from the in-house pharmacies. The official further said that the pricing of the outpatient consultations also depended on the facilities the hospital provided and the modern equipment they possessed.