A status report brought out by an NGO on “Health and Healthcare in Maharashtra” underlines the following facts:

• When it comes to hospitalisation, over 70% of the people in Maharashtra prefer the private sector.
• 51% of women prefer the private healthcare setup to deliver their babies.

It seems that the public healthcare system is far from popular in Maharashtra. The state has the highest per capita income, but its health indicators are far from impressive. The shocking cases of malnutrition deaths, high child and maternal mortality rates and declining sex ratios point to the flaws in the public healthcare system.

A visit to the outpatient department of any public hospital will stress most of the patients. Limited manpower and too many patients to be seen means that the time devoted to each patient is less than optimum. Doctors have to compromise on history taking and clinical examination in order to see all the patients. This definitely leads to missed diagnoses and occasional mishaps. Too often investigations are ordered randomly and appropriate tests are missed. The patient has to make repeated visits to the hospital for various tests and is often shunted from one department to the other and from one hospital to the other. The patients and their relatives are rarely explained the nature of the affliction and the plan of treatment leading to tremendous anxiety. The cost involved in terms of man-hours lost is also important. Most of the patients who visit public hospitals are daily wage earners and can ill-afford lost days. The well-meaning doctors and staff of public hospitals are unable to do their best due to bottle-necks beyond their control.

Private practice in Mumbai and Maharashtra ranges from the local general practitioner to independent consultations, polyclinics and private or trust owned hospitals. The patients who visit the private health-care system are benefited by personal attention of the treating physician who is willing and able to spend optimum time with each patient. The time spent on history and examination enables the doctor to reach a diagnosis more often than not on the first visit itself. Specific investigations are asked for and are done under one roof without much delay. Due to the personal touch, doctors are able to solve medical, social and economic problems of the patient promptly. The cost of treatment in a private health-care system is definitely high but gets obviated by saved man-hours and quick results. Patients also have the liberty to choose the treating physician and hospital as per their desire and economic status. Many trust owned hospitals have subsidized beds where people from lower socio-economic status can avail of the services of senior doctors who offer free expertise.

The other positive aspect of the private health-care system is the medical tourism industry. In the year 2004, 1.5 lakh medicaltourists visited India and by 2012, medical tourism will generate $ 2.3 billion annually. The allure of low cost medical procedures along with the exotic locales and prospect of a vacation is attracting many wealthy patients to India. The long waiting period for elective investigations and procedures in countries like the UK also contribute to the growth of the medical tourism industry. With some foresight, we should look at partnerships with the healthcare providers abroad so that medical tourism will be mutually beneficial. The government should regulate and encourage medical tourism as it will benefit the Indian economy. A share of the income can be utilised for the betterment of the public healthcare system.

There are nearly 41,000 doctors of Indian origin in the US and physicians from India are considered among the best in the world. It is time we improve our health and healthcare statistics with co-operation between the public and private healthcare systems.