Lucknow News: In Uttar Pradesh, patients are turning to big private hospitals for treatment of serious diseases, but the cost of treatment here is becoming a big challenge for common families. According to the experience of the patients, despite being admitted in a general ward, after including medicines, tests, doctor’s fees, diet and other necessary items, the daily expenditure is reaching Rs 55 thousand to Rs 1 lakh. In such a situation, patients with health insurance get some relief, but for those who do not have insurance, it becomes difficult to meet the treatment expenses.
One week bill for cancer treatment is around Rs 6 lakh
Prayagraj resident Sangam Simon (52) is suffering from rectum cancer. He is undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Lucknow for the last six months. During the surgery, he had to remain hospitalized for about a week. According to Sangam, despite being admitted in the general ward, the bill for seven days came to around Rs 6 lakh. That means the average daily expenditure was around one lakh rupees.
Since Sangam had health insurance, he did not face any immediate financial problems during his treatment. However, there were many expenses besides the hospital bill. Money was also spent on commuting from Prayagraj to Lucknow, renting a room in Lucknow for the family and consumables not covered in insurance.
Troubled by time and crowd in government hospital
Sangam Simon says that initially he tried to get treatment in a government hospital. He says that there was a problem regarding the reports of important tests like biopsy and he had to visit the hospital several times. Due to crowd and lengthy process, treatment was taking time.
After this he decided to get treatment in a big private hospital. He says that the treatment here is expensive, but he is satisfied with the treatment. According to him, the hospital was also given the option of purchasing consumables from outside, which brought him some relief.
1.60 lakh spent in 3 days for spine treatment
The second case study is of Vishvet Kumar, who teaches in a private school. He comes from a normal family and supports his family’s expenses through his job. He had to be admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow for the treatment of spine problem. Vishwat remained hospitalized for three days and at the time of discharge his total bill came to around Rs 1.60 lakh.
This amount is quite big for him, but he says that considering the crowd and problems in government hospitals, he thought it better to get treatment in a private hospital. Vishwat says that the treatment is very expensive and the government should take some steps in this direction, so that ordinary families do not have to face financial problems for the treatment of serious diseases.
8 lakhs spent on the treatment of kidney patient
Ram Samuj Yadav, resident of Mau district, is a farmer. His friend is admitted in a private hospital in Lucknow due to kidney problem. Earlier, his treatment was going on at the local level, but after the problem increased, the family had to go to a big hospital. Ram Samuj tells that till now about eight lakh rupees have been spent.
The family and relatives have together raised money for the treatment. They are worried about how much further treatment will cost. He says that common people do not easily understand how much expense is being added to the hospital bill. The family is repeatedly asked to deposit money, whereas around Rs 1 lakh is being spent daily.
Daily expenditure in ICU ranges from Rs 80 thousand to Rs 1 lakh
According to the information received from other patients, the daily expenditure of kidney failure and dengue patients admitted in ICU was said to be around Rs 80 thousand to one lakh rupees. At the same time, the charge for a bed in a general ward is around Rs 3,600 per day, but the total expenditure of the patient is not limited to the bed only. When doctor visits, medicines, various tests, diet and other essential items are added, the bill increases rapidly. This is the reason why the total expenditure per day of a patient admitted in a general ward can reach Rs 50 to 70 thousand.
Bed is cheap, but other expenses increase the bill
If we compare only the bed rent, it does not seem much more than a good hotel room, but in a hospital, apart from the bed, the patient needs constant medicines, tests, doctor’s monitoring and many types of consumables. When these expenses are added, the total hospital bill increases significantly.
Patients say that health insurance is proving to be very helpful in the treatment of serious diseases. At the same time, families who do not have insurance are forced to borrow from relatives or even spend their savings. On the one hand, the experiences of these patients highlight the need for better arrangements and increased facilities in government hospitals, while on the other hand, questions are raised about the rising cost of treatment in private hospitals.
