Dr P.C. Reddy
Chairman Apollo Group of Hospitals
Chennai
Ref: IP NO 220035
Dear Dr Reddy,
I am Mr P. N Pathak, Former Executive Director Numaligarh Refinery Ltd and General Manager, Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd . I was an inpatient in Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi from 17th March to 20th March, 2009. I was advised Laser Prostratectomy by Dr Anant Kumar when I consulted him on 14th March, 2009. I could not resist myself from writing this letter to you personally to convey my observations and deep feeling of anguish on two important and conflicting aspects .
My experience and observations are based on my stay in your hospital in New Delhi. The management of the affairs of the hospital with respect to atleast the Indian Middle Class people need your personal intervention to make the cost of treatment reasonable and unrepentable for patients coming to Apollo Delhi . The present management and overtly commercial system that is being practiced in Apollo Delhi is in direct conflict to your high ideals and is not only unsatisfactory and is also damaging your cherished dream of touching human lives . Infact that there is no element of human touch left and the only touch that one gets to feel is a purely Commercial touch from the time one checks in at the registration counter to the time one heaves a sigh of relief at being released through the gates . Although I am sure I am taking a considerable amount of your precious time in detailing my experiences below, I am sure you will appreciate that I am investing my time as well in only meaning well for an organization like Apollo which so far I had held in very high esteem, but my experience in Delhi has left me very pained .
INSUFFICIENT PRE OPERATION COUNSELLING
When the concerned doctor explained to me about the two methods of operation, namely TURP and LASER PROSTRATECTOMY, he said that the laser method although more expensive was painless and without post operative bleeding and that he recommended the same . After the operation upto the 10th day I experienced severe pain and burning while urinating and also had bleeding, both in terms of blood clot and fresh bleeding . Even now after 2 weeks I am still experiencing burning sensation and loss of control. When I took an appointment to meet the surgeon and met him he said that in some cases it was normal to experience these things for about 2 weeks or more, and advised me to take a uroflowmetry test and also prescribed some medicines for two weeks .
Here the feedback is that the concerned doctor did not give a full picture of the post operative stage and gave inadequate patient information resulting in unexpected suffering at the post operative stage. This results in complete loss of confidence in the doctor and I am sure this must be a serious thing for a Senior Surgeon of your hospital.
ESTIMATION & BILLING
At the time of the estimation signed personally by Dr Anant Kumar which is attached herewith, I specifically asked to be clarified the maximum possible all inclusive hospitalization cost and I was given the estimate for Rs 1.75 Lacs . Let me inform you that my operation and post operation period in hospital was totally without any added complication and “ post operative period uneventful” as per discharge certificate also, and yet my final bill was for Rs 2.11 Lacs( Bill No ICR 2008063207 dt 20/03/2009) which is more than 25% higher than the all inclusive maximum estimation. This results in complete loss of faith in the estimation and billing process and also leads to various doubts about the fairness of practices employed at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi .
3. In house Doctor’s Visits and Consultations
The concerned doctors’ visits to the patient’s room is most unplanned, incomprehensive and irregular although for every such visit the patient is being charged . Senior Doctors come in with as many juniors in tow and simply enquire about the well being for 1 – 2 minutes for which then visit charges are raised for both the Senior and Junior doctors and that too for exhorbitant amounts. These are practices which do not argur well for a reputed hospital as Apollo.
4Other observations .
The date and time for release from hospital is not properly informed to patient even after knowing patient’s condition . Time of release is not followed as informed by Doctor . The discharge certificate is without specific do’s and don’t’s for the particular ailment . Information about post discharge conditions to be expected like bleeding, pain, etc is completely missing . For post operative consultations charges are very high and for a simple uroflowmetry test not lasting more than HALF minute the charges are as high as Rs 900/- .
Sincere Regards,
*P.N. Pathak
Email - edmundian@rediffmail.com*