MEMO FROM NARA

According to me hospitals are temples for most of us and doctors are our Gods and Goddesses. We depend on them for getting relief from all kind of simple to dreadful diseases. The only way we get rid of our diseases is the hospitals run by the Government or private persons. The service of the doctors in government hospitals is free whereas we have to pay for consultancy, check-ups, tests, medicines, operation etc. in private hospitals. Only rich people can think of such hospitals where all facilities are available.

Big cities have multi speciality hospitals as well as speciality hospitals. Renowned doctors are being appointed in them. Invariably such hospitals are owned by a doctor or his/her family. On the other hand, Government hospitals are poorly maintained and they serve the needs of poor people who cannot pay for treatments. Although each Government spends huge sums of money for upgrading such hospitals with modern equipments and clinical laboratories, the upkeep and maintenance is not up to the mark. So the upper class people do not prefer to visit them. Therefore the VIPs and the rich, even many middle class people prefer private hospitals for better (?) treatments.

Why the Government hospitals are so poorly maintained in spite of the allotment of sufficient funds by the Governments? Is it because of the lethargic management or the corrupt officials and doctors who do not have an aptitude to develop these hospitals? There may be many more reasons. Still the improvement is very slow although we do find very little change over time.

Private hospitals charge heavily from patients who are expected to pay in advance for every type of treatments. Tests of all kinds, treatments of all sorts extending from medication to surgery, accommodation (air-conditioned with all facilities) food etc. cost a lot for every patient. With all these the percentage of success in treatment depends on the fate of the patient -  some people think. Diseases are the enemies of human beings. In addition to diseases, many other incidents make man non-functional. So we have to have hospitals to treat us whenever needed. As we all are human beings – rich or poor – need the help of doctors who run the hospitals.

Insurance helps to some extent the hospital expenses. But there are millions of people who do not have life-insurance. They suffer a lot because of want of money. All these things are visible once we visit a public or private multi speciality hospital. If we are in good health, there is no need to be hospitalized, but is it possible to be healthy all the time? Accidents occur every time. We may be the victims of such accidents. Soldiers fighting in borders get bullet injuries, and occasional bomb blasts, road accidents, earthquakes, cyclones, floods cause physical injuries that need treatments in hospitals. So multi speciality hospitals are necessary in each and every part of our country to take care of us.

As the days go by we may have to have more multi speciality hospitals because of new kinds of more dangerous diseases. Our future generations also have to depend on hospitals more than us.