Choosing the right hospital and the right doctor for medical treatment is of utmost importance, especially in case of critical and life-threatening conditions. However, the decision becomes all the more critical and important when a patient travels from overseas or another country to get treated, putting at stake thousands of dollars, energy, and their precious time.
Sometimes, patients travel to travel millions of miles to get treated just because the cost of medical procedure is much less in the other country and the quality is much better. However, in certain cases, patients may decide to travel to the neighboring country to get treated.
While traveling to a neighboring country, patients short on financial resources and time tend to look for the nearest hospital in the nearest city, with the impression that all public and private hospitals there have the same standard and quality in terms of medical treatment.
Such is the case with thousands of citizens of Bangladesh who travel to India and decide to get treated in the nearest city of Kolkata. There are many public and private hospitals of great reputation in Kolkata, but that does not mean that they are providing quality medical treatment at a cost that you deserve to get treated in.
This is apparent from the recent announcement made by Kolkata chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The lady has publicly scolded private nursing homes and hospitals across the city for changing the unfair amount from the patients who decide to get treated in them.
This is not the only problem that the chief minister pointed out during her public hit out. She even pointed out at illegal kidney rackets being run in the city and the high levels of medical negligence that continues to persist in these hospitals.
To put control over illegal practices and to stop hospitals from charging unfair amounts from the patients, Banerjee has established a West Bengal Health Regulatory Commission. The commission intends to improve the billing status and maintain transparency and consistent quality performance among them.
The committee includes a number of industry experts and doctors and will be headed by a retired judge. The chief minister has further warned the hospitals not to refuse treatment to the poor and critical patients.
A decision like this time and again emphasizes the need to carefully watch out for the decision we end up taking before getting medical treatment. While a good hospital with quality medical facilities can help eradicate your problem, a hospital with bad services at sky-rocketing costs can only add to your existing problems.
There are several things that patients from Bangladesh and for that matter any other country should keep in mind while deciding where to get treated. Some of these considerations are discussed below.
Why not trust each hospital?
A hospital could be of great repute, but that does not mean that it offers quality services at a fair cost. It is always better not to trust any hospital in terms of quality and cost of medical services, no matter how far or close that facility is.
Patients should always research about the hospital, read its reviews, and opt for treatment in that hospital through a reputed medical service facilitator like Lyfboat. Doing so ensures that you get treatment at a fair cost and at the best hospital, under the guidance of the best doctor. In addition, you are able to read reviews, view the complete list of hospitals that offer a particular treatment and doctor availability.If you choose the hospital without checking reviews then you might get the wrong treatment in hospital.
Why get multiple opinions?
Another option to be sure about the hospital and the doctor that you have chosen is to get a second opinion. Seeking opinions from just one hospital, especially in the case of a life-threatening or a critical procedure that requires major treatment, is not a good thing to do. Doctors from other hospitals may have a different opinion and an alternative procedure to recommend to you. It is better to always go for different opinions otherwise you might get the wrong treatment by doctor.
Therefore, you should always take multiple opinions about your diagnosis and the line of treatment recommended by one hospital. Take your decision to get treated in a particular hospital after weighing down all options, correct diagnosis, and type of treatment you want to undergo.
Why compare prices and doctors?
Comparing prices and doctors is one of the key steps in deciding where to get treated. If you consult just one hospital, you may never know whether the price that they are quoting for the treatment is fair or whether the doctor has the proper expertise to perform that critical procedure or not.
This is the primary reason why you should compare the prices and expertise of doctors before making the decision. The same can also be done with the help of a medical facilitator. You can compare prices and doctors online, thus eliminating the need to go to every hospital to do the same.
Each hospital has a different pricing scheme, depending on the facilities that they provide, doctor’s fees, nurse’s fees, and bed charges. You should compare them before choosing a particular hospital to decide whether a particular procedure is a worth so much money or not.
This post was last modified on September 16, 2020 2:14 pm