Private practitioners do not practice for charity. It is a business they run. Make no mistake, these corporates maybe greedy but the quality of care they provide is on par with international standards. They practice for profits. It doesn’t get simpler than this. Businesses depend on money to stay solvent. They will charge for all the extra facilities they provide. If they provide you with a cleaner bed sheet and a more dedicated workforce, they should be paid for it. The only step that the government can take ( and should ) is to better their own services. If people get good services in government hospitals, they will not have to go to private practitioners. If we citizens don’t demand better services, why will the government provide them ? In countries where health is given a priority, the strongest point in the system is always the primary healthcare, where people can go for common ailments. They are probably the weakest link in our system. No educated person would be going regularly to a Primary Health center, despite the fact that they are everywhere. We want a neurologist for a headache that can be cured with simple Paracetamol. In such a scene, private practitioners reap profits for basic services that are not provided by our government. Corporate hospitals and private nursing homes are two entirely different entities. You have to understand this. The former is run by businessmen, political big weights and their benamis whereas the latter is run by one or a group of doctors. There maybe exceptions but this is usually the norm. A nursing home or a small scale hospital is usually a dream for many doctors. It gives them the freedom and independence they crave for. Yes earning money is also important but a doctor who does multiple consultations at multiple corporate hospitals will earn way more than a doctor who owns a nursing home. It is because running a hospital is not cheap. But as i said before making money is not the primary aim for such doctors. It is the name they earn and the freedom to treat their patients by their choice without worrying about an interfering senior or the pressure of a corporate, that drives these doctors. But nowadays it is exceedingly difficult to run such centers (I won't go into the details of that as I would be digressing). As a result urban and semi urban health care is now mostly provided by huge corporate hospitals. Now what is the aim of any corporate. It is to maximize their profits. However take any commerical product in the market, there is a mechanism to keep in check the never ending appetite of corporates. Competition. There is a Pepsi to keep Coco Cola in check. There is a Ford to keep Chevrolet in check. I can keep listing. It won't end. Without these competitors if corporates ran a monopoly, coke would be a luxurious drink. Owning a car would be impossible except for the elite. These corporates want people to buy their produce in maximum quantity. Mind it none of these are mandatory for human living. So people are under no compulsion to buy them. But they do because people believe they are worthy of the money they are spending on it. If it was too expensive then many will simply choose not to buy it. If it was too cheap the corporates will cease to exist as the profits won't be enough. Greed and fraudulent practices have no limits. If private hospitals run under losses - how are they to be run? Going on putting more money indefinitely from pocket? Will government support? If private people have to invest in healthcare - some profits have to be there, otherwise they will not. Will you invest your money if I tell you - “please invest in a hospital which will run under losses as it is good for people”. I know answer is “no”. It is same with other people. Let all the media and politicians who talk so much put THEIR money and run hospitals at low prices if they are SO concerned about everyone as they pretend to be. If you spend even half an hour on the net, you can find out - Indian doctors consultation fees lower than any other country (less than China) Indian private healthcare cheapest among even BRICS countries, including China Indian doctors work harder than any other countries - no other country has OPD after 5 PM, on Saturday, Sunday, holidays. they make money by working harder, not by charging more - is that good or bad? Think. Just ask yourself - why do people from other countries come here for treatment if it is expensive? To help our country? Mind you, overseas patients are charged MORE than Indians in all hospitals plus airfare and stay costs. Government is using media to distract people and blame private sector for failing to provide healthcare to citizens. It is duty of government to provide healthcare - because it failed, private sector is providing. To cover up its failure, government is targeting private sector and blaming it. It is not duty of private sector to work under loss - they can’t. Government at fault - blame private sector for it: wonderful. After all, it is government providing OPD after 5 PM,etc isn’t it? It is government which provides high quality care at such low costs isn’t it? If your friend / relative falls sick in the middle of the night, who will come to your aid? media and government?
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