I recently had the chance (more of a misfortune, rather) to experience the state of healthcare in both US and India. The contrast in the whole process between the two countries is fascinating. If I ever find myself in a situation where I need to choose between one of the countries for medical treatment, it would be a very tough choice to make. “Which system is less negative?” would be the question I’d have to ask myself.

One of my family members was diagnosed with some serious health problems recently. He received his initial treatment here in US, and then flew to India for further treatment. When the patient was hospitalized in US, he was taken good care of for most part, although there were a few minor incidents that we wished didn’t happen.

But my biggest gripe about healthcare in US is the cost, especially if the patient is on one of those travelers insurance plans that don’t really cover much for pre-existing conditions. The hospital billed us (and the insurance company) at least 5 times their actual cost — and 10 times over for certain procedures like dialysis. Later on, we came to know that the hospitals routinely do that, because the travelers insurance companies typically pay only 10-15% of the billed amount. They also try to recover at least a portion of their losses from other unpaid bills too. So the hospitals look to cover their bases by billing inflated amounts. People like us get caught in that muddle, and trust me, it’s a very frustrating situation to be in.

Moving onto the scene in India, we took the patient to a reputed hospital in Hyderabad. The doctor made us wait for almost two hours, in spite of the patient’s condition. And when he finally arrived, he spent only five minutes with the patient. Within those five minutes, he answered three personal phone calls on his flashy cellphone, and asked us twice whether we already paid his consultation fees. The whole thing smacked of money-mindedness and I wondered if he was even paying any attention to the patient’s situation.

And the hospitals in India were not as clean, the support staff don’t always have time to tell you much information when you need it, and they expect to be bribed even for things they are supposed to do as part of their jobs. Not much accountability either, for it is next to impossible to do anything if things go wrong due to negligence on the part of hospital or doctors. But the best part is, the treatment costs only a fraction of what it does in US — as little as 5% in our case. So it’s a lot more affordable in India.

One might think it’s not fair to stereotype the healthcare systems in either country. Perhaps there are much better hospitals and doctors in both countries. But for most part, we tend to form our opinions based on our individual experiences. And my experience was anything but pleasant.

All these gripes and whining apart, the patient is doing well and recovering now. I guess that’s the ultimate bottomline!