Are doctors de-valuing themselves?
No better than now, we have understood the importance of healthcare. But what does healthcare actually refer to? It refers to the services offered by the doctor, the hospital along with its staff and the medicines/consumables used in the process.
Everything comes with a cost, be it a service or a product. When matched product to product, the drugs/consumables used are similar in most parts of the world in terms of quality and costs. Indigenous Indian products may cost slightly lesser. Even the mandatory infrastructure(Eg: Laminar airflow; Fowlers cot; ventilators, HD laparoscopy), at least in tertiary care centres are similar in most parts of the world.
This leaves us with the question, what’s the overall cost comparison of in-patient admissions and/or surgeries around the world? Lets take an example of OP consultation and a sample case of gall bladder removal surgery(called laparoscopic cholecystectomy). The average OP consultation in India ranges between 100-500 rupees, averaging around 150-200 generally. The same in a country like Dubai is approximately 3000-4000 in INR. Would you believe, its around 1500 in a country like Sri Lanka!!
With regard to cholecystectomy, its around 50k-1 lac in India, whereas the same would cost over 6 lacs in USA and 3 lacs in Dubai and over 2 lacs in Malaysia.
With the medical education in India being one of the best in the world, Indian doctors are most respected in each of the countries mentioned above. With this background, what we understand is that the reduced overall cost in India is primarily attributed to the lowest professional fees charged by Indian doctors within India. This is exactly why most Indian talent is finding better opportunities overseas, serving other citizens.
If charging patients is not an option, why not government insurance companies, public sector/private insurance companies pay what the medicos deserve? Coz the doctors have not taken the fight. When farmers can join hands to demand that they think is right for them, why shouldn’t the doctors. Why have doctors de valued themselves to charge lesser than most barbers charge, after spending years on medical education.
Unless they value themselves, others wouldn’t !!!
Are doctors de-valuing themselves ?
