Corporate Medical facilities. Are they for common Man ?
An invitation to Problems.
Stepping in to Corporate Hospitals spell a hole in one’s Pocket.
A Medical check up makes you think of Stars in the sky, even in day time. Super specialty Hospitals means stretching your neck for slitting the throat.
What the statistics say.
- Out of 120 plus crores population.
- Health policy owners are less than 25 percent.
- People suffering from Diabetes are 6.20 crores.
- People with Heart problems are 6.2 crores.
- People with Hyper tension are 10 crores.
From the above figures one can imagine the size of the ‘Indian Health Industry’.
Medical treatment is expensive.
Medical treatment is not confined to a few individuals. Nor it is confined to rural or urban areas. Be it an illiterate or literate, everyone at one time or other must have been caught in the web of vicious circle of Medical treatment.
It doesn't mean, Medical treatment should be at a throw away price or free of cost. If the Medical services are made available by the Medical industry by foregoing a small chunk of their profits, even a common in the society will be able to enjoy the fruits of modern medical facilities and treatments. He can heave a sigh of relief. Sits on the wheel chair sans worries.
By this small adjustment corporate hospitals will not lose astronomical amounts. Instead they reap many benefits in the long run. Many customers look towards the corporate hospitals and their related services.
Management expert C.K. Prahlad in his groundbreaking concept, ‘Fortune at the bottom of the Pyramid’. Says that the New business models should be targeted at the poorest people in the world by extending good and services. In other words, if the lowest strata of the society which comprises of poor people will become instrumental in making the corporate and the governments in to profitable organizations.
Basing on this concept, new generation, social businessmen using the modern technology are directing their efforts to handover the services and goods to the common man in the society with nominal profit margins. Marketing strategies and social responsibilities are mixed. Some profits and some service are combined. While they are living, letting others to live.
Hospital Guide Foundation, the brain child of Indiritta Singh.
Personal experience of Indiritta Singh, a member of the Royal family of Rajasthan, highly educated daughter of a Freedom fighter and an ex ambassador was made to run from pillar to post, when she took her seriously ill mother for treatment to a corporate hospital.
Different doctors. Different advices. Indiritta’s head reeled hearing a host of advises. “ If this is the condition of me, “Indiritta thought, “what would be the condition of poor and uneducated”?
This dreary situation made Indiritta ponder. She has decided then and there, to find out a solution for this social problem. In a few days, Indiritta joined in the administration wing of a Corporate Hospital. She has utilized the social networking site Face Book. She opened a platform for exchanging views of different people afflicted by different ailments. Seeing the overwhelming response, Indiritta thought of forming HGF, Hospital Guide Foundation.
By the time a patient knows about the problem, and the medical institutions that can treat him, or about the alternative treatments etc, it would be too late. In the present scenario where it has become a herculean task to get an appointment from one specialist, who can run for two or three speciaqlists? Even if the patient manages to get the appointment of a specialist, there is no guarantee of a true and sincere medical advice in the fully commercialized Medical system.
The patient and his kin will be eager to get a correct advice about the type of treatment and medication.
HGF took the responsibilities of providing the required information to the patient and to his anxious kith and kin.
How HGF functions.
HGF is a voluntary non – profitable organization. It operates from Bangalore. Patient or the relatives of the patient can register their queries in the website of HGF. The representatives of the foundation recommend the doctors and medical facilities. Out of these suggestions, the patient or the relatives of the patient select the doctors and the medical facilities basing on their convenience and financial conditions. Generally the foundation responds to the queries within 72 hours after receiving the query.
The foundation equipped itself with about 700 doctors who offer their services without any returns. The foundation which runs Face book as the stage has about 25000 members.
People Health India
Is another Medical services portal works on the same lines as HGF. But it is a social business online concern.Just provide all the details of the ailment. People Health India in return will provide all the details like related doctors, Medical institutions and all such information wanted by the patient.
People health India has contacts with more than 250 doctors and 20 hospitals. This type of guidance and help will save the patient from a load of hardships. Though it doesn’t charge anything for its services, collects charges from the Medical institutions.
Mr. Krishna murthy, the founder of People Health India says that already more than 100000 people were benefitted by their services.
Inexpensive Medical treatment is possible.
Sandeep and his friends thought that certainly it is possible to provide inexpensive quality medical treatment that is within the reach of a common man.
How Medical treatment can be made inexpensive ?
In order to make the quality medical treatment inexpensive, Medical institutions should decrease their profit margin a little. To some extent Medical institutions should decrease waste. With the saved amount, the patient can be given better medical services. By this lives can be saved. At the same time the medical business thrives.
The case of Kamal Shaw.
Kamal Shaw, after completing his engineering went to the USA. There it was known that Kamal’s kidneys were damaged. Though his mother donated kidney, Kamal’s condition did not improve. The donated kidney too was affected and damaged. This warranted for daily Dialysis. When Kamal recovered a bit he went for vacation with his friends to Mahabalipuram. During his vacation period India has witnessed the devastating Tsunami. As a result., his resort was flooded with water. His dialysis equipment was damaged and he was infected.
Kamal, during that painful and tortuous period, in order to divert his mind opened a blog and started sharing his hardships. It was then, Vikram, an old student of, Osmania university stumbled upon the Blog of Kamal. Vikram himself gone to Kamal and they became friends instantaneously.
Vikram, an old student of IIT, Kharagpur, joined in the Booth school of Business management, Chicago. After completion of the management education, he got a job in the USA and settled there. After a stay of 10 years in the States, he came to India eight years ago to visit one of his relative who was seriously ill. This gave Vikram an opportunity to see the conditions of medical administration and medical services in his own country, India. He observed that the cost of quality medical services is very high and the facilities which are cheap lack quality. During a seminar of ISB, Indian School of Business, Vikram met Sandeep.
The trio Sandeep, Vikram and Kamal formed a group and decided to provide quality medical services with little cost to the needy.
The birth of Nephro Plus.
By Using the equipment efficiently and by reducing the waste, the trio started providing quality medical services for a cheaper cost from Nephro Plus, Hyderabad.
Sandeep says that’ we have proved that quality medical services can be provided with a less cost.’ The trio firmly believes in filling the patient with confidence which is an essential part of Medical treatment. Nephro Plus conducts pleasure trips for a change to the patients on dialysis. For the sake of business men and employed arranges dialysis during nights to suit their convenience. It also organizes awareness camps and lectures for the relatives and guardians of the affected people.
A Medical shop with a difference.
We all know today the cost of the medicines are touching the stars. In case of minor ailments like common cold or cough, one can manage because of less expenditure involved. But, what about those medicines for chronic diseases without which the patient survive even for a single day ? For such patients it is essential to keep aside in the family budget along with other necessities. In such cases even a saving of a small amount in the allocated family budget for medicines will make a big difference.
Seeing the plight of the patients who spend large amounts for medicines, Chandra kiran, a young man who returned from United states of America, made up his mind to do something for the aggrieved patients who were hard hit by the soaring prices of medicines.
Chandra Kiran, keeping in view of the patients suffering from chronic and life threatening ailments started a website named Medstar. In exclusively to extend services to the patients at discounted medicines.
The general Medical shops we see just sell the medicines. In some cases, Some medical shops home delivery facility will be there.
Chandra Kiran had gone a step ahead. The patient can get his required medicines just with a phone call. The stores accept, the scanned image of the medical prescription given by the doctor through e mail. Even one can send a Fax and the medicines and get the medicines delivered at the patient’s door.
It’s not all. In addition to the above facilities patients will be given a discount of 15 to 30 discount on the medicines. Another unique facility Chandra Kiran’s Medical stores extends to the patients is, from time to time, the stores will be enquiring about the stock of the medicines through SMS Messages. Occasional advise on life style, healthy food habits will be sent to the patients. The representatives of Medstar will come to the home and conduct tests for diabetes and hyper tension free of cost.
Chandra Kiran says that the system worked successfully in America and expressed his confidence it will work successfully in India too.
Institutions like Red Cross are extending similar facilities in Hyderabad through, ”Jeevanadhara Sanjeevani.”
Creative Medical treatment.
If the exorbitantly costly medical services are a problem to someone, despite the ability to bear the heavy medical expenses, not having the time or indifference to medical treatment is some other’s problem. Both problems are equally dangerous.
Keeping this problem in view, Swetank Verma, Rahul Batra and Sachin Ganotkar established a website ‘My Healthmate’. This website takes the responsibility of the old parents of busy expatriates .Many of us make a new year resolution to get the entire family undergo a medical checkup will forget on the very next day of the new year. My Healthmate, not only reminds the patients but also make full arrangements for all medical checkup. Then it conveys the advice of the doctors to the family. Maintains health records. It has its medical centers at Hyderabad and Gurgaon. The fees will be in accordance with the type of ailment.
Mera Doctor.
We all know at times even a minor ailment like common cold or headache will crete lot of inconvenience and restlessness to us. We don’t have the energy and patience to go to a doctor. Even if we go, there wont be energy to stand in the serpentine Queue. Crossing the busy roads and the heavy traffic ro reach the doctor will aggravate headache. The days of doctors coming to the home to render services have gone long back.
As a solution to the all above problems, Mera Doctor has appeared on the horizon. That is Mera Doctor. Presently Mera Doctor’s services are limited to Mumbai only. It extends all medical services for a fees of Rs, 2000 per month for the entire family. Any ailment big or small, just with a missed call will be given quality medical service at your home.
A Big support to Slum dwellers.
Heavy medical expenses are making lower middle class people in to Poor. And the poor are further reduced more poor.
The representatives of Swasth India, the brain child of Ankur, Aravind and sandeep, three IIT graduates are of the opinion that the one of the reasons for extreme penury in the slum dwellers of Metropolises is Unhealthy conditions. And for the same reason the slum dwellers are deeply drowned in heavy loans.
Owing to the heavy road accidents in metropolises , not having any insurance and the utterly bad conditions of Government hospitals are some more reasons that prompted Swasth india has decided to help in its own way to the poor. Its objective is the lowest strata of the society should be able to enter the premises of corporate hospitals and receive the medical facilities.
By providing medicines and medical services at the lowest cost Swasth india has won the hearts of the slum dwellers of Mumbai. About 12 different medical services of Swasth are working in the slums of Mumbai. Swasth is providing medical services costing 40 percent less than the private hospitals to the slum dwellers.
It provides loan facilities if necessary.
Medical records, a solution.
We go to a doctor for a treatment for some ailment. The doctor prescribes some tablets. After using the tablets for a couple of days we realize that the tablets prescribed by the doctor are causing some inconvenience In us.
Again we visit the doctor, after standing for hours in the serpentine queues. The doctor prescribes a new medicine. After some time we go to another doctor for a medical checkup. This time the new doctor after hearing our case history nods his head and says that there is a link between the first ailment and the third ailment.
Why it was not diagnosed at the first instant ?
The answer is lack of Medical records.
Seeing that how lack of medical records are causing inconvenience to the patients, Riyad Rashid, a graduate of of IIT karagpur has started an institution named ‘D-Wise’. The institution’s objective is to benefit both the doctors and the patients.The patient can save lot of time. The doctors can provide more efficient services. Above all, if the patient is prescribed a medicine, incompatible to his system, ‘D-Wise’ warns promptly. Riyad Rashid could do all this with the help of a software, ‘e-clinical station’. The organizers say, ‘e-clinical station’ is in use in nine hospitals in Bangalore.
A bit of business, a bit of social service, a bit of social responsibility.
A problem will be probed from the roots. A temporary treatment or a surgery may solve the problem for the time being. But sure it recurs. These hardcore entrepreneurs believe in prevention rather than cure. More than 50 percent are caused by drinking impure water.
The number of social entrepreneurs with a mission for Providing water filters for affordable cost, undertaking projects like ‘Tele Medicine’ to serve through trained nurses in the rural areas, spreading awareness on importance of nutritional food is no doubt increasing. But still a lot has to be done. A lot has to be done in spreading awareness on the health and its related issues.
But, one thing is for sure.
It’s an indication that a great change is in the offing.
The first step for a thousand miles journey has been taken.
Some Social Medical institutions working in this direction.
There are many hospitals in par with the Corporate hospitals in Technical knowhow, skills and experience rendering medical services well within the reach of common man. It doesn’t mean these hospitals are voluntary and non-profitable hospitals. The difference is by using skillfully space management, they build a hospital in a less space and provide more number of beds, appoint doctors locally, and train them, buy medicines directly from the manufacturers eliminating in between medical stores, arrest waste, do not give much importance to fancy advertising, not decorate the buildings and keep the profit margin as less as possible.
Life Spring.
This is a Hyderabad based Maternity hospital. Renders medical services and preliminary services. It renders medical services with very less cost .
Aravind eye hospital.
Works from Madurai, Tamilnadu. By utilizing skillfully management techniques and human resource management, Aravind eye hospital is able to provide quality medical services to the patients with less cost.
Vatsalya.
Providing inexpensive medical services to the rural and small town population from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Glocal Healthcare.
Now, Glocal healthcare is spreading gradually in to the rural regions of West Bengal under the supervision of Dr. Azim, who resigned his lucrative job to render medical services with less cost.
Narayana Hridayalaya.
Runs under the supervision of Dr.Devisetty, the pioneer of Social Medical Business. This medical center specializes in Heart ailments with branches in several states of India.
Vision Spring.
With an aim to provide inexpensive spectacles to the needy, Vision spring appointed Visionpreneurs in many remote villages .
Quality medical equipment with less cost.
The backbone of any Medical institution is its equipment. Scanning machines, incubators and E.C.G are quite expensive.
Panikkar and Murthy from Bangalore decided to supply important medical equipment with a less cost to the Medical institutions in order to enable the hospitals and medical institutions provide quality medical services for a lesser cost. The duo from Bangalore Panikkar and Murthy worked in this direction. As a result of their hard work and dedication, they created an incubator with a nominal cost and won the coveted, “Economist Innovation Award.”
WHO estimated that because of non-availability of incubators every hour 340 just born children are dying.
Institutions like G.E Health care are manufacturing portable X-ray machines to reach remote villages, C.T scan machines that can be reassembled with dismantled parts, ultra sound machines are being manufactured with nominal cost.
An organization named ‘TriNetra’ manufactures Eye testing machines and sells them with a nominal cost.
Indian Medical Research Center manufactures a badge used to test the glucose content in a diabetes patient for less than Five rupees.
All these combined efforts of different selfless people are aimed to provide quality medical services for common man.
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