Posted on 11/22/2005 2:48:29 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
It looks like 67-year old Mavis Childs may have set the trend by seeking the services of medical facilities in India at a huge cost-savings for an operation that the NHS made her wait for over two years. Now the NHS itself is taking a cue from her and has short-listed the leading Indian chain of hospitals, the Apollo group for its outsourcing plans.
While Childs experienced the infamous “NHS waiting list” long enough to realize that she may die waiting, there are many still who endure pain for years before the NHS allots an operation day. In light of media releases of the shortage of medical expertise in NHS run facilities, it is only likely that these waiting periods may grow. The NHS itself has been trying to make amends by recruiting nurses, dentists and even social workers from India. But it appears that this import of talent may not extend to doctors too.
Though, the NHS shortlist of the Indian Apollo Hospitals group is initially for providing diagnostic services, it is likely that the understanding maybe extended to other areas. The preliminary short-list however permits the Apollo group to submit its bid for providing diagnostics in four parts of UK. Already doctors at the NHS are understood to have referred some patients to India for operative procedures.
The new move however would mean that Apollo takes its expertise “on site” to UK in the allotted areas including London and Greater London. Though an Apollo Group spokesman said that the bid does not involve any investment on its part, it is very likely that there would be some money being ploughed in as far as manning and managing the diagnostic services in UK.
The Apollo group bid would be for a wide spectrum of radiological services, for both invasive (endoscopy) and non-invasive diagnostics (CT, MRI and ultra-sound scanning besides X rays). Group-President of Apollo Hospitals, K. Padmanabhan confirmed, “Our bidding team is in London”. Outlining the timelines for the bid he said, “We expect the bid to be completed by February (and) the outcome will be known by April”.
Clearly diagnostic services forms NHS' first wave of outsourcing and the next wave is expected to include treatment and surgeries, in which the Apollo group is also slated to participate. The Apollo group appears to be prepared for the possibility of outsourcing-triggered rancor from local staff and has plans to “handle” some of it by employing locals on site. The NHS effort is therefore not to really outsource all of its work to outsiders but to augment its capacity for handling the flow of patients and overcome the backlogs.
With many of India's topmost medical professionals having trained and earned their medical degrees and fellowships from the Royal College in UK, it is no surprise if NHS does outsource some critical surgeries to India. The Apollo group's founder and Executive Chairman is one such example of British training and built hospitals keeping in mind his early experiences.
Currently the group with 6400 hospital beds still finds it inadequate to handle the flow of patients in India and is in the process of adding 1800 more beds. But it appears that some of the facilities, costly by Indian standards are actually intended for the wealthier patients from UK. One only hopes that catering to NHS does not lead to the Apollo Group neglecting needy patients from India itself.
Wait-listed Brit woman healed of heart-ailment in India! London | November 21, 2005 2:40:26 PM IST
A 67-year-old English woman was successfully treated in New Delhi after her country's Health Department - NHS - failed to find a solution for her ailment - a blocked aorta which restricted circulation, and eventually hampered her walking and other bodily movements.
She waited two years for NHS surgery and was then told that it had been cancelled. She was asked to wait for another six months.
Crippled, and in agony, she was unable to face a further delay, so, she decided to spend 5000 pounds (more than four lakh rupees) to fly to New Delhi and get a successful operation.
Mavis, a retired wages clerk and a mother of three, is now hale and hearty, and back in her Wolverhampton home. "I'm 100 per cent fit now and can walk anywhere. If you're on an NHS waiting list you can wait forever," The Sun quoted her as saying. (ANI)
'Medical tourism' is the word.
Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia etc have already stolen a big lead over india in this area. And China hasn't even entered this market yet. Why should India be the natural choice for westerners looking for med services?
PS:
Also hear that Apollo is opening hospitals in Eastern Europe and Mexico? Now, that would be interesting...
For non-critical procedures like minor surgeries, cosmetic procedures and sex-change operations, yes, the countries you mentioned are ahead of India. But for more critical surgeries like those of the heart and brain, and other complicated medical procedures, India it is, atleast for the surrounding region. The other countries cannot match the price.
Good for her!
Socialist medicare simply doesn't work.
Funny you mentioned China.
I find many Chinese hospitals very efficient.
If the Chinese hospitals find a way to communicate with English-speaking customers, all the US hospitals can kiss all their patients goodbye and go bankrupt (illegals taking free medicare).
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