Government to control medicine costs?
Good idea. Government will decide on how much a doctor should charge for a fee for an operation. Great. Why should the government not decide on how much Deepika Padukone should charge for a movie?
Well a doctor studies, and undergoes training till age 33/5 if he chooses to specialize. He has some 5000 tests and diagnostic processes and procedures to choose from. He tells you in advance what he is going to do, he tells you it will cost Rs. 22,00,000.
Is that not transparency? What more do you want?
If you go to Jaslok hospital you will pay Rs. 10L for the whole operation, if he went to a govt hospital…it would cost him Rs. 100000 perhaps. So why should the govt control Jaslok prices? If people KNOW that there are different hospitals offering the same operation at different prices, let the client decide. Let the client decide which hospital he/she wants to go.
A super specialist doctor starts earning at age of 35. Who will compensate him for he 18 years of medical education that he has put in?
A hospital buys land in a good location paying market rates. Who will subsidize this?
Medicines carry tax, and doctors pay Income tax. Who will compensate for that?
Well, it is a free world. People can choose their careers.
A qualified neuro surgeon can become a banker if he chooses. No, a banker cannot become a surgeon without 10 years of education and training.
Nurses specialize – pediatric, cardio, anasthesia,….there is a new breed of specialised nurses. Who paid for that training?
Doctors pay 33% income tax. Who will pay for that>
all these questions have to be answered first,
partha
If one is getting into the profession of doctor with the idea of minting money its a wrong perception to begin with. Yes doctors need to make money for the hard work they put in but here is how it differs: A banker can charge .10% comission and still make crores where as a doctor can physically interact with far less people so if he wants to make the same crores he has to overcharge the far lesser group of people he can order those CT scans to get back the money he invested, when you dont like a banker you can move but when you dont like a hospital policy when you are lying in bed unconscious you cant move. Any profession serving people needs regulation. On the same logic why do we need health inspectors for restaurants? If the hotel serves unhygenic food wont the people themselves avoid it? Why bother setting up health inspectors? A capitalist economy like USA will create the same problems as USA where medical drugs + doctors visit are unimaginably expensive, so people travel to Mexico and India to get operations done.
Example of how things go wrong without regulation:
https://scroll.in/latest/860089/i-t-raids-unearth-referral-commission-nexus-between-doctors-and-diagnostic-centres-in-bengaluru
Your doctor studied for 18 year and now thinks that justifies his decision of ripping people off to recover the money spent on his education. Things can only get worse from this point forward.
partha
Eventually this becomes a cycle, medical education costs shoot up because now you are sold the idea that if you become a doctor you can mint money.
rajendra
Doesnt matter how much Deepika Charge, If we cant afford movie tickets we can avoid to watch movie. But health care we cant.
And Docs are specialized and started earning late doesnt mean they do profiteering. Actually it should be cover like essential commodities Act, everyone deserve to get medical treatment like education and food
subra
Partha its a free world. Go to a great doctor who charges reasonably, why should the govt regulate the fees? Then it makes sense for all doctors (who can) to migrate to the US or UK or any other country willing to pay well. 99% of the patients do not understand medical profession costing, so they crib and then spend on other life style expenses. You have a choice right from Municipal hospitals to Charitable hospitals to pvt hospitals like Apollo. Do not expect Apollo level of cleanliness and organising at the price of a Municipal hospital.
LuckyOye
People cribbing about high healthcare costs are ignoring the fact that healthcare is not a right. You have a right to your life, your earnings, your property, and your safety and security. But you surely don’t have a RIGHT to your healthcare. It needs to be secured by means of judicious self-regulation as well as negotiated transaction on a REGULAR basis. Sort of similar to a happy married life! After marriage, do I have a RIGHT to a happy married life????
While frauds and crimes at every level needs to be uncovered and punished, the basic premise of controlling healthcare costs by Govt. is flawed.
At the same time, its high time hospitals and other healthcare institutions become fully transparent in their pricing mechanism. Emergency conditions aside, every non-emergency procedure/consultation should be publicly priced/available on websites.
Mayur
Does’nt government spend a ton of money to subsidize medical education? If you want to charge fees like Western countries, so should medical colleges.
Santhosh
If the hospital overcharges it will get a reputation for overcharging and people will avoid it. When you want the best treatment you should be ready to pay for it too. You cant decide how much a doctor/hospital should charge, but you can definitely decide which doctor/hospital to go to. Problem with people such as one of the commentator above is that they want the best of treatment without paying a penny. Not possible.
subra
Govt spends on Govt hospitals…private hospitals buy LAND at market prices apart from equipment..etc.
LuckyOye
Govt subsidizes all sorts of things. Not only Medical, even engineering and technical courses are subsidized (IITs for example). Agricultural education is also heavily subsidized, in spite of Agri income being completely tax free!
Maybe govt should start subsidizing the private hospitals now…
Hari
If Doctors/hospitals can charge the way they want, how can you check the exploitation?
What government is doing is that, they are controlling the exploitation. Regulation means, always, restricting the exploitation.
Many people from small towns come to big hospitals in cities by selling all their property but they eventually have to go back with a dead body!
To understand how the medical industry works, please read the book- ‘Death by prescription’.
one has to understand nexus between Doctors/ Pharma companies/ Hospitals/ Medical stores.
Madikeri Abu
You can choose not to watch Deepika’s movie but one can’t avoid going to hospitals. And most of the hospitals now exist only to fleece the poor and hapless patients. The recent example of a hospital in Delhi charging 15L for the body of a dengue affected dead baby is just one example.
partha
Not all times you have ability to pick your hospital or agree upon a fair market value for your procedure. A free market is where price negotiation thrives. In an emergency you would rush to the nearest hosptial than look for cheaper hospitals or discounted deals. Its like having a burning building and the fire department charging you for the water they pour to put the fire off.
I am not in favour of govt fixing prices though, my frustration is towards the scenario which exists today where doctors are trying to meet their monthly scan/procedure quotas. If you are a good doctor and you dont meet your quota the hosptial admin reprimands you.
I expect the govt to bring in a mandate to display all prices of for all procedure online and hospital premises. Hospital should not maintain 2 prices, one for patient without insurance and one for with insurance. This would be utopia for me. Free market + Transparency.
sabu
The whole system of Medicine in India is corrupt. Regulation is the need of the hour. The nexus between doctors, Insurance providers and Big pharma is well know. Lifestyle disease, One of the biggest scam run by this nexus. Take Diabetes, The drugs which is used to control diabetes, takes the patient from bad to worse state and it takes time. Cure is not a word used, because there is no money in curing or reversing disease, The money is in maintenance of the disease till the patient is alive. Every medical discipline guys gets a cut due to diabetes. For example Heart, Kidney, Skin, Brain you name it. Ideal money minting scam. You ask for cure from them and you are laughed at.
Srihari
Why is “minting” money by Doctors wrong? Who are we to decide how much a doctor should be paid. Will we let a doctor decide our salary or profits? This is just a classic case of hypocrisy.
If our Sarkari babus (who are called government “servants” by our great socialist populace) can mint money using tax payers money, why can’t doctors?
If minting money is wrong then why do people crib about Salary and profits? Think about Government giving food, housing, healthcare and education for all without a single penny as salary. Would we agree to that?
Nobody is forcing anyone to go to Private hospitals, everyone is free to go to government hospital! Its a joke when we go to private hospital instead of government hospital and cry about the price.
Instead of fixing government hospital and improving its standard if we regulate private hospital, it will only reduce the quality of private hospital to the current standards of government hospital instead of giving any relief to patients. Its basically like doing a heart transplant for fixing a broken femur. It just doesn’t make sense.
If an entrepreneur invests his/her money to build, maintain and run a hospital, its that person taking the risk with their money. Not you or me or anyone else in this world. The entrepreneur would expect to be paid not just for the cost of investments, but also for the risks taken.
Dheeraj
Dear sir,
U have reached certain level and that is making u to make these statements.Be humble .plz think abt people who r not so rich.Be grateful if u r in top 1℅ of citizens of this country .Accept the part of luck also.
shailesh
Dear All,
Disclaimer -I Am a Doctor.
If you guys decide that I must not earn much it is total hypocrisy. I did not sign a “bond” when I joined Medicine that I will serve for free / charity. I can demand my fees and If you feel, I am very costly, you are free to consider any of my colleagues who serve you equally well. What is the need of the hour is Health Insurance for all so that these things do not bother anyone. The Govt can bring forth subsidised health group insurance which can be easily afforded by all. That way I am free to charge my fees and you are free to decide which hospital is good for you. At the end of the day, I too have a family to cater to and ensure they live a comfortable life.
Amit Gupta
There are many developed countries where you get best healthcare for free. The cost is borne by the taxpayers and just like everyone has right to life. Everyone has a right to good healthcare to maintain his/her health. In US if you are unable to afford the medicine and healthcare cost then govt bears it for you. If you can afford it then you have to pay hefty insurance premium every month.
Few medicines which cost few hundreds in India are available at 10-20 times price in US. The cost charged by doctors should be reasonable to provide good healthcare to everyone. There are few professions like soldier, health care, etc which are not meant to mint money but to serve the public. They took the oath before signing up for this. The need of the hour is to increase the tax payer base and use that money to fund healthcare to every citizen like few developed countries.
Also, it is not necessary that pvt hospitals provide the best health care and facility. We have best group of doctors working in AIIMS and few govt hospitals and they are still serving the public without any prejudice.
Anant
Subra,
Your free market theory is applicable to all areas of life – let demand and supply decide price. The missing point is – doctors, labs and hospitals are conning people by unnecessary tests and procedures,forcing to overstay, prescribe and force to take only certain brands and hospitals and what not – is this free market – if conning is free market then why are you against similar practices in financial services?
Anant
Shailesh,
If you are a good doctor you will not refer people for unnecessary tests and procedures to get referral money – your quest for money should not be the reason for mental and physical agony of people.
Everybody has right to earn as per his skill – but if you are thinking everything in terms of business – your greed will never end. I know quite a few doctors who are wealthy and past 70 but work as they are happy to provide real solutions to people’s issues.
Lastly health insurance is not the solution but the original problem of everything being costly – just look at USA – ppl cannot afford premium forget healthcare costs.