In May I needed medical treetment because I was not able to move one leg and had a lot of pain. I live in Bandra W and decided to visit Lilavati hospital as I heard from an American collegue that his wife went there for a heart check-up and recommended it.
Worst experience ever. I am shocked, though I am comparing to western standards. Taking into account that this may be the best option avalable in Mumbai is even worst. It was my first time visiting an Indian hospital, but I have been to a doctor before (good experience) who unfortunantly is in the South of Bombay why I needed to go to a place in my area as it was an emergency.
I had no appointment at Lilavati, went to the ckeck-in on ground level, had to pay for consultation in advance (quite cheap), waited 1, 5 hours on a wire-chair in front of a wooden door with a prison like window until the doctor started the consultations at all. The paint was coming of the walls, it was dirty. When the doctor started to call people in other patients frequently looked into the consultation room through the bars of this open prison window (privacy???).
Finally it was my turn. The doctor told me his diagnosis without even looking at my leg (Are you a vegetarian? No? Than you had to much proteins.). Partly I was relieved because I did not want any people looking through the window from outside at my bare leg. But how can any doctor make a diagnosis like this? I left with the feeling of wasted time. Fortunatly I flew to Europe just two days later where I was treated appropiate (no diet problem, of course!).
My collegues wife booked a suite at the hospital and this might be the reason for the overall good experience. But boooking a suite just for a consultation??? Maybe there is a second entrance and I took the wrong one considering the low charges and that most of the other patients did not look like they could affort good medical treatment. Sorry, but for a foreigner India looks very much like a country where some people are just more equal than others and the idea of a second entrance for the "rich" is not out of the world.
Just the thought of getting ill and having to consult a doctor in Mumbai again gets me horrified. I heard of great private hospitals in Delhi which are in line with international standards (Fortis etc.), but Lilavati did not meet any of them. The worst: How can a hospital be so dirty?! It is supposed to be the cleanest place. Where they have garbage on the floor you can image the invisible guests like viruses, germs etc. having a big party.