HEALTHCARE

Life in India is never predictable, for example, in the space of one week Bill had three separate experiences of the Kerala healthcare system – both planned and unplanned.

 

Fatima Hospital

To apply for a driving licence one of the mandatory questions is to state your blood group. Having no idea of the answer Bill emailed his doctor in the UK who replied that blood group is not systematically recorded in patient’s notes. So he needed to have a blood test. Near our house is a family clinic which is effectively a walk-in service. The staff were very helpful, blood was drawn and the result emailed back to him within an hour. It couldn’t have been easier and the cost for the test and report was just 50 rupees (63p).

Two days later he needed to stock up with medication. He had been allowed to bring a three month supply from the UK but wanted to check that he could find the same tablets in Kerala. There are lots of small pharmacies that stock commonly needed items, but for more specific medication it is best to visit the larger pharmacies located near to hospitals. Having a copy of his UK prescription helped and after much double checking all the right tablets were found. For 30 days supply of five items the cost was 1750 rupees (£22) - a lot cheaper than a UK prescription charge of £8.60 per item (although being over 60 the medication would be free for him at home). Apart from the low cost the difference is that each medication is handed over in a small brown paper bag with the contents and dosage hand-written on the outside. Definitely low tech!

Both of these visits were intentional but the next experience was certainly not. Two days later Bill missed a step on the staircase at home and fell heavily on his side against the stair edge. It was painful but seemed to be just severe bruising and he was able to move around gingerly for the next two days. However, on the third day he experienced sharp stabbing pain that doubled him up. He is taken to the local hospital casualty where he is seen straight away. X-rays reveal that he has in fact fractured two ribs and he is given a pain killing injection. The orthopaedic consultant wants to check there is no further damage and he is sent off for a CT scan. This checks his lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas which are all fine. The consultant wants him to stay overnight but he declines and the compromise is that he sits in an observation room while a pain killer is dripped intravenously into his hand. Before returning home he is fitted with an elasticated belt that protects the ribs and chest – not particularly comfortable but effective. The next day he returns for a check-up by two consultants. The instruction is to take a daily cocktail of pain killers etc, have complete rest for two weeks and return for a further check-up in 7 days’ time.

All in all the hospital experience was very good. Bearing in mind that it is not a private facility, the building may look like the inside of the Good Karma Hospital of the TV programme and the equipment may be a little dated but it is clean and well-staffed. The stand out thing is the cost. In total the tests, consultations and medicines cost around 7000 rupees (about £88), of which the CT scan alone cost 5000 rupees (£63). In contrast to a UK consultation an Indian consultant charges a mere 150 rupees (£1.90).

 

This whole series of healthcare experiences raises a real question about the value of international healthcare insurance policies. Before leaving the UK we obtained some quotes from well-known firms. Their premiums ranged from £400 to £600 per month. This was way beyond our retirement budget so we opted to ‘wait and see’. On the evidence of this particular week we were better off without insurance although there are no doubt circumstances, such as heart attack, which would require more expensive specialist treatment in a private hospital. So we continue to look into alternatives. In the meantime Bill has had a very thorough MOT for a very reasonable price!