D
Dr. Jai Maharaj
Guest
Home hospitals: Prescribed to stitch pockets
By Meenakshi Rao, and Preeti John, in Indraprasth
The Pioneer
Mr Sharma had a temporary respiratory failure. Was rushed
to the nearest "speciality" hospital in a non-polluted
South Delhi nook.
Was kept in the ICU for three days and recuperated in a
private room for another four. The cost of a week's stay:
Rs 1.25 lakh.
Ms Sanan is a brain disorder, intestinal obstruction
patient now being treated at home. During one difficult
spell, the consulting doctor advised home treatment with
portable machines, a 24-hour nurse and doctor at call.
But a wary son took her to Gangaram Hospital just in case
his relatives thought he was avoiding hospitalisation to
save money. In four days, the bill mounted to Rs 80,000.
She was finally sent home where he continues the same
treatment at one-fourth the cost.
Welcome to the age of hospitalisation at home. Now, one
can assemble his own little hospital, even a makeshift
ICU, at home, that too at lower costs.
From ventilators, oxygen cylinders, air purifiers and
pulse oximeters to blood gas monitors and
endoscopy/colonoscopy kits to complex pain relieving
machines - everything has gone portable, mobile, home-
friendly and available at the doorstep.
Coming with convenient props of "home delivery path
labs", mushrooming nursing bureaux and top doctors on
call with portable examination kits, chronically ill
patients in need of frequent hospitalisation can now
breathe a sigh of cheaper relief.
The past four years have seen a quantum leap in the
number of path labs, dealers selling or renting out
various medical equipment, servicing patients at home in
Delhi. There are around 1,000 path labs, many of which
collect blood at home and diagnostic centres which are
willing to take ultrasounds at home. Of course,
ultrasounds are hush-hush as they tread on the thin ice
of medical laws prohibiting possible pre-natal sex-
determination tests.
Says Dr J S Guleria, former AIIMS dean and consulting
cardiologist at the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Medical
Sciences and Research: "These home facilities for chronic
patients cut down their frequent hospitalisations to
emergency visits only in serious condition."
Ventilators, C-paps (continuous Positive air wave
pressure) and Bi-paps (bi-level positive air wave
pressure assisting breathing), hitherto available only in
hospitals are now up for sale and installation at home.
Says a multiple-organ complication patient R B
Srivastava, "During a recent lung failure I was put in a
private hospital for instant medical help and
recuperation. I am yet to recover from the enormous bill.
Then, my son bought me an Australian-make ventilator. It
cost Rs 1.5 lakh and has a three-year warranty."
With this one-time investment, Mr Srivastava is breathing
easy. Gone are his over-a-lakh-for-a-week
hospitalisations three to four times a year. Resting at
home and among family members, he puts on the ventilator
18 hours a day and feels it is the best present he has
ever got. "It is a matter of life and death," says Mr
Srivastava, on the machine for four months.
Contrast this with a certain hospital in South Delhi
which provides the ventilator service only in its ICU.
The ICU daily rental alone is Rs 7,000, over and above
the cost of medicines, doctors visits to the ICU and
other related tests which builds up a daily bill of over
Rs 10,000.
So, more and more chronic patients in need of
hospitalisation seem to learning the lesson. "It is much
easier for me to have a Bi-pap at home, inclined as I am
to falling ill seriously once or twice in a year," says
76-year-old G N Verma of Saket.
In the case of Mr Sharma who was put through as many as
175 tests at a private "research institute" after
respiratory failure, a top doctor attached to that very
hospital admitted in private that most of these tests
were actually not needed and had been done to fleece the
patient.
He advised Mr Sharma to buy a Bi-pap machine for all-time
use at home and assured him that this would come at one-
fourth the annual hospital expenditure. C-paps and Bi-
paps are non-invasive ventilators provided in most ICUs
and emergencies. Acute asthma and lung failure patients
can avail these machines right at home. And for those
unable to spend a lakh can actually hire them for the
difficult period. The cost: Rs 500 a day.
Dr Guleria has around eight such home patients. But a
problem with some of these machines, according to him, is
that they are imported and if defects develop there are
no good services and repair options.
Nevertheless, the usage of medical equipment and
facilities at home has gone up three times in two years,
according to Mr M Grover of Mahendra Associates, major
suppliers of medical equipment, including oxygen
cylinders and C-pap machines. There are seven such
suppliers in Delhi and most of the potable equipment
other than oxygen cylinders are being imported.
Prime manufacturer British Oxygen Limited also provides a
rent facility to needy patients. Just deposit Rs 50,000
as refundable security and pay up a daily or monthly
rent.
And it is not just lung patients who are breathing easy,
home endoscopies and colonoscopies have also come in as
bedroom conveniences. These machines being in the range
of Rs 7 lakh are handy kits for calling doctors. Like Dr
S K Thakur, senior Gastroenterology consultant at the
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. "Portable endoscopy has
slashed down hospital visits and test charges which were
earlier a compulsion."
He admits that the influx of portable medical equipment
has not only made life easy for patients but has also
saved their hospital bills. Dr Thakur possesses portable
endoscopy and colonoscopy kits for use of his chronic
patients unable to afford frequent hospitalisations. "I
have already recovered the cost from home rounds," he
says. In any big hospital an endoscopy costs upwards of
Rs 5,000. At home, it adds up to just Rs 1500, inclusive
of the doctor's charges.
Of course, there is nothing better than prevention, says
Dr S C Manchanda, Head of Cardiology at AIIMS. "Awareness
of diseases is very important and I would say simple
resuscitation and CPR (mouth-to-mouth respiration)
techniques should be known by family members."
A bulk of Dr Manchanda's patients keep BP instruments at
home for regular monitoring. Then there are automatic
defibrillators which can detect heart attacks and help in
reviving patients. "These machines can be installed at
home but cost a cool Rs 15-20 lakh. Thus, there are not
many takers," he says.
As for orthopaedic patients suffering frequent bouts of
paralysing pain there is TENS, an effective pain killer.
Says Dr S Shalya, senior consultant at Apollo. "These
TENS pain removers are smaller than cellphones. One can
press them to the painful area and get relief, that too
at home."
Read the complete news at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com
News Plus
http://www.mantra.com/newsplus
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Panchaang for 26 Jyeshtth 5104, Wednesday, June 25, 2003:
Shubhanu Nama Samvatsare Dakshinaya Nartana Ritau
Mithun Mase Krishna Pakshe Buddh Vasara Yuktayam
Bharani-Krittik Nakshatr Dhriti Yog
Kaulav-Taitil Karan Dvadashi Yam Tithau
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the
educational purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of
this post may not have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent
the opinion of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright law
and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name,
current e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others
are not necessarily those of the poster.
By Meenakshi Rao, and Preeti John, in Indraprasth
The Pioneer
Mr Sharma had a temporary respiratory failure. Was rushed
to the nearest "speciality" hospital in a non-polluted
South Delhi nook.
Was kept in the ICU for three days and recuperated in a
private room for another four. The cost of a week's stay:
Rs 1.25 lakh.
Ms Sanan is a brain disorder, intestinal obstruction
patient now being treated at home. During one difficult
spell, the consulting doctor advised home treatment with
portable machines, a 24-hour nurse and doctor at call.
But a wary son took her to Gangaram Hospital just in case
his relatives thought he was avoiding hospitalisation to
save money. In four days, the bill mounted to Rs 80,000.
She was finally sent home where he continues the same
treatment at one-fourth the cost.
Welcome to the age of hospitalisation at home. Now, one
can assemble his own little hospital, even a makeshift
ICU, at home, that too at lower costs.
From ventilators, oxygen cylinders, air purifiers and
pulse oximeters to blood gas monitors and
endoscopy/colonoscopy kits to complex pain relieving
machines - everything has gone portable, mobile, home-
friendly and available at the doorstep.
Coming with convenient props of "home delivery path
labs", mushrooming nursing bureaux and top doctors on
call with portable examination kits, chronically ill
patients in need of frequent hospitalisation can now
breathe a sigh of cheaper relief.
The past four years have seen a quantum leap in the
number of path labs, dealers selling or renting out
various medical equipment, servicing patients at home in
Delhi. There are around 1,000 path labs, many of which
collect blood at home and diagnostic centres which are
willing to take ultrasounds at home. Of course,
ultrasounds are hush-hush as they tread on the thin ice
of medical laws prohibiting possible pre-natal sex-
determination tests.
Says Dr J S Guleria, former AIIMS dean and consulting
cardiologist at the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Medical
Sciences and Research: "These home facilities for chronic
patients cut down their frequent hospitalisations to
emergency visits only in serious condition."
Ventilators, C-paps (continuous Positive air wave
pressure) and Bi-paps (bi-level positive air wave
pressure assisting breathing), hitherto available only in
hospitals are now up for sale and installation at home.
Says a multiple-organ complication patient R B
Srivastava, "During a recent lung failure I was put in a
private hospital for instant medical help and
recuperation. I am yet to recover from the enormous bill.
Then, my son bought me an Australian-make ventilator. It
cost Rs 1.5 lakh and has a three-year warranty."
With this one-time investment, Mr Srivastava is breathing
easy. Gone are his over-a-lakh-for-a-week
hospitalisations three to four times a year. Resting at
home and among family members, he puts on the ventilator
18 hours a day and feels it is the best present he has
ever got. "It is a matter of life and death," says Mr
Srivastava, on the machine for four months.
Contrast this with a certain hospital in South Delhi
which provides the ventilator service only in its ICU.
The ICU daily rental alone is Rs 7,000, over and above
the cost of medicines, doctors visits to the ICU and
other related tests which builds up a daily bill of over
Rs 10,000.
So, more and more chronic patients in need of
hospitalisation seem to learning the lesson. "It is much
easier for me to have a Bi-pap at home, inclined as I am
to falling ill seriously once or twice in a year," says
76-year-old G N Verma of Saket.
In the case of Mr Sharma who was put through as many as
175 tests at a private "research institute" after
respiratory failure, a top doctor attached to that very
hospital admitted in private that most of these tests
were actually not needed and had been done to fleece the
patient.
He advised Mr Sharma to buy a Bi-pap machine for all-time
use at home and assured him that this would come at one-
fourth the annual hospital expenditure. C-paps and Bi-
paps are non-invasive ventilators provided in most ICUs
and emergencies. Acute asthma and lung failure patients
can avail these machines right at home. And for those
unable to spend a lakh can actually hire them for the
difficult period. The cost: Rs 500 a day.
Dr Guleria has around eight such home patients. But a
problem with some of these machines, according to him, is
that they are imported and if defects develop there are
no good services and repair options.
Nevertheless, the usage of medical equipment and
facilities at home has gone up three times in two years,
according to Mr M Grover of Mahendra Associates, major
suppliers of medical equipment, including oxygen
cylinders and C-pap machines. There are seven such
suppliers in Delhi and most of the potable equipment
other than oxygen cylinders are being imported.
Prime manufacturer British Oxygen Limited also provides a
rent facility to needy patients. Just deposit Rs 50,000
as refundable security and pay up a daily or monthly
rent.
And it is not just lung patients who are breathing easy,
home endoscopies and colonoscopies have also come in as
bedroom conveniences. These machines being in the range
of Rs 7 lakh are handy kits for calling doctors. Like Dr
S K Thakur, senior Gastroenterology consultant at the
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. "Portable endoscopy has
slashed down hospital visits and test charges which were
earlier a compulsion."
He admits that the influx of portable medical equipment
has not only made life easy for patients but has also
saved their hospital bills. Dr Thakur possesses portable
endoscopy and colonoscopy kits for use of his chronic
patients unable to afford frequent hospitalisations. "I
have already recovered the cost from home rounds," he
says. In any big hospital an endoscopy costs upwards of
Rs 5,000. At home, it adds up to just Rs 1500, inclusive
of the doctor's charges.
Of course, there is nothing better than prevention, says
Dr S C Manchanda, Head of Cardiology at AIIMS. "Awareness
of diseases is very important and I would say simple
resuscitation and CPR (mouth-to-mouth respiration)
techniques should be known by family members."
A bulk of Dr Manchanda's patients keep BP instruments at
home for regular monitoring. Then there are automatic
defibrillators which can detect heart attacks and help in
reviving patients. "These machines can be installed at
home but cost a cool Rs 15-20 lakh. Thus, there are not
many takers," he says.
As for orthopaedic patients suffering frequent bouts of
paralysing pain there is TENS, an effective pain killer.
Says Dr S Shalya, senior consultant at Apollo. "These
TENS pain removers are smaller than cellphones. One can
press them to the painful area and get relief, that too
at home."
Read the complete news at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com
News Plus
http://www.mantra.com/newsplus
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Panchaang for 26 Jyeshtth 5104, Wednesday, June 25, 2003:
Shubhanu Nama Samvatsare Dakshinaya Nartana Ritau
Mithun Mase Krishna Pakshe Buddh Vasara Yuktayam
Bharani-Krittik Nakshatr Dhriti Yog
Kaulav-Taitil Karan Dvadashi Yam Tithau
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the
educational purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of
this post may not have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent
the opinion of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright law
and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name,
current e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others
are not necessarily those of the poster.