My kid was born in Manipal Hospital Bangalore(MHB). We stuck with MHB right from the onset of pregnancy till post-natal check-up . The reason we chose MHB is proximity from my office and residence. Moreover our personal experience with Manipal had been mostly satisfactory. Our experience and expectations were not belied. We got both positive as well as slightly negative experience. In this review I will describe the positives first. I will leave the negative towards the end.
The most impressive thing about Manipal is its system and infrastructure. The huge 11 storeyed building is a city in itself. It is reasonably clean. Public bathrooms have room for improvement though. Information is conveniently available. Any stranger can walk in and get guided to whatever service (s)he needs. There are ample of payment counters distributed conveniently. Charges are standard and predictable for outpatient-services.
During the first checkup we walked into Obstetrics-gynecology-OPD (out-patient department). We got assigned to Dr. Meena Muthiah. She was great. She was always ready to answer our questions. She shared her phone number and was available 24 hours on phone. We once called her at night and she gave the necessary directions on phone. The pregnancy was mostly smooth and normal but there were couple of times when we expected the worst. We consulted Dr. Meena Muthiah on phone during those difficult moments and her directions helped. During the delivery she insisted and attempted for normal delivery. It was us who opted for scissor-operation. Before my wife got admitted for delivery, Dr. Meena gave us a cost breakup and estimate for the delivery process. Her estimate turned out to be very accurate. It helped us a lot towards planning the finance.
After delivery we took a room of our choice. It was great. The nursing staff was a mixed bag. There were good, not-so-good, not-skilful-but-caring, all kinds of nurses. Overall it was okay. On the day of discharge I offered some money as tip but was politely refused. I did feel a bit offended at that time but later realized that it may be for greater good. I must make special mention of a Tibetan nurse (her name was Tenzin) who was an expert in handling the baby. She also took time to explain us the intricacies of handling a baby. She was of great help.
After the kid’s birth, a pediatrician was assigned to the baby. It was Dr. Karthik Nagesh. He diagnosed a case of neo-natal-jaundice and put the baby under ultra-violet-light treatment. So far so good. When bilirubin count did not subside, the doctor asked the baby to be put in intensive care unit. He painted a very scary future of the baby in all gory details in front my wife who was already dead scared. The doctor need not have used such scary language. Moreover the doctor was not at all forthcoming with the cost estimate of ICU. After much cajoling and follow-up I was given an estimate of 10000 INR. The actual cost came at 47000! This was extremely unprofessional. Moreover I needed some signature of the doctor for insurance purpose. For that he made me make multiple rounds spanning multiple days. I had a feeling that I was running around in a government office to get a prized signature.
Overall, I will rate my experience as good. Thanks to the good support staffs, doctors and nurses of Manipal Hospital. Thanks to our luck too. I have seen unlucky cases when no-doctor-or-hospital can help.