Discount coupons and healthcare

As I opened today's newspaper an orange and green coloured booklet blobbed out .On 27th January,a day next to our Republic day an orange and green coloured booklet made me grab the booklet thinking it to be a advertisement of a store like Big bazaar announcing it's Maha sale.
And yes it was a booklet of discount coupons of a big Hospital.Take the cut out to the hospital and avail the discount.My first reaction was a big laugh........had never thought that health care would be sold with discount coupons like that of Pizzas and pop corns or for that matter any electronic good.20% off on maternity packages......20% on Gynaecology surgery......10% on PHP..........10% on blood work.........5 day free trial of gym.A local saloon wala had recently visited me at my home with such a discount coupon.......10% off on hair cut,20% off on hair spa,30% off on nail extension....
After that laugh when I thought over it more seriously it made me little thoughtful.To me the whole thing didn't look in good taste.May be I am biased........I don't know.But to me it seemed that we were not giving the right signal to our patients.It looks all so commercial and maybe cheap.Hospitals are money making organizations but still the work involved is much different from selling  popcorn or Pizza.May be I am wrong.Maybe today's patient would appreciate it.Marketing people would know better to have come up with such an idea.And I am not sure when such sales are announced at hospitals are they really a boxers day sale or just that the price has been escalated first to give a discount later..........because I know for sure that no hospital would actually run on loss to give a discount to the patient?
Feedback are welcome............what do you think?would you like hospitals to come out with the concept of 'Maha Sale' ?Discount cards like that of Pantloon,Landmark,Shoppers stop etc where you can redeem your points?
GOD ............I am SHOCKED to see the same hospital selling coupons online on snapdeal......claiming to be India's biggest online mall.
Also came to know that you can get the discount coupon for the hospital at BIG BAZAR.Where is the class and sophistication needed to be a healthcare professional?

Happy New Year to me

So........more than half of January is already over.It has been quite good so far ,though a little hectic.
I am over joyed.......firstly my son got just over 92percentile in his DUKE TIP talent search test and has qualified for the scholarship.That too when I don't think I am able to give him much time.Secondly the very next day got a mail from our CEO Dr Ajay Bakshi's office for being selected the first ever.......Young clinical Performer of the Year at Max Hospital .A very nice initiative coming from the management to encourage the doctors for the work they do throughout the year.It felt good.And yes I do wish to share my joy with all of you.
That was the good part but I am stressed......Work in overdose,have to study for my interview at the Royal college of Australia and Zealand on 1st feb for my assessment to be compared to with their specialist and if I pass eventually to get an Australian Fellowship and need to vacate my ex flat which I sold about a month back.The current Landlord is going really impatient with me not being able to vacate it even after a month .Hope to be over and done with most of my stress by mid feb and a new year resolution......not to take any new ambitious project/target during rest of the year,though my mind is already full of many.
And in my next post will share my experience with a husband of pregnant Lady......a gentleman who genuinely believes that health care professionals are actually hounds or blood sucking vampires!!
BTW I am MRSA negative and have escaped muprocin application :-)
 

Mixed bag updates

So today I am little less disappointed or should I say I am happy.........

The Lady with wound infection....removed her stitches yesterday and it has healed nicely.And not just that our infection control in charge Dr Geeta Arya got my nose swab collected today to rule out that I wasn't the one who is harbouring any MRSA infection in my nostrils.I hope not......otherwise it will mean 10days of muprocin ointment application in my nose and savlon soap(chlorhexidine soap) to bath with at least for a month!!

The lady with ongoing pregnancy......well well that turned out to be really interesting case.Yesterday her husband did question our administration if the termination of pregnancy was even ever done by me :-( ?? ( patients at times expect a 100% warranty from the doctors ......... We are humans after all!!)
That left me a little sullen.Had to explain him that it is a known complication that in 1 in 100 TOPs,there can be an ongoing pregnancy needing a repeat procedure ( Ref RCOG Guidelines on TOP).The wife still showed a lot of faith.Now today I did it under ultrasound guidance.And surprise,surprise.........It turned out to be a bicornuate uterus with pregnancy in the smaller horn .If there was any communication between the two horns it was not visible on the ultrasound scan.Called the husband inside the OT to have a look himself.And then started my ordeal.To negotiate the small horn containing the pregnancy.Somehow managed to make a false passage with the help of uterine dilators and slowly but steadily completed the procedure in an hour.The longest ever TOP conducted by me.But in the end did manage to complete the procedure.

A Mixed bag

It was a delayed start of the winter this year and now when it is here it is piercing and pinching cold.Life seems to be so difficult for the ladies who are about to deliver.They don't want the delivery in such a cold weather.Doctor isn't comfortable.......driving to hospital in fog and cold isn't very easy.Anyways life goes on...... Just today I returned from Corbett after a short family vacation.It was good minus the tiger.What I loved most was the hot air coming from the hotel AC which left all of us stuffy and totally dehydrated in few hours.But still it was the most comfortable thing around in Corbett ki sardi.
December was busy.....very very busy.Did a lot of good clinical work.But then I always share with you what I do good.This time I will share my disappointments.They are all small disappointments but they are disappointments  none the less

• After many years one of my patient had a bad infection in caesarean wound.Don't know wether it was hospital acquired or community acquired as it developed 7 days after discharge.But anyways,it was bad,needed some good antibiotics and resuturing. The stitches are to be removed tomorrow.Will update !!
• During a vaginal delivery of a Lady with occipito posterior baby one of my patient suffered bad para uretheral tear.I was scared for her that external urethral spinchter might have been damaged.But luckily for her the spinchter was intact and she is continent.
• Did a Suction and evacuation for termination of pregnancy of Lady.She complained of painful nipples and it made me suspicious of an incomplete abortion and the ultrasound did confirm an ongoing intrauterine pregnancy.Can happen in 1 in 1000 Terminations.But that Lady is surely shocked.Will complete the procedure tomorrow or day after.
• I did talk of inability to perform difficult Laparoscopic Hysterectomies under GIPSA insurance package.So a Lady presented with 16 weeks size uterus with previous LSCS for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy.Informed her husband that I would not be able to perform this surgery under GIPSA package.Still he wished me to be the surgeon for his wife and said he will make the insurance company pay.At the time of discharge of the lady insurance company paid a paltry sum of 55000.So here started the trouble.Insurance company wants an answer as to why can't such a complicated surgery be done in Rs55000. Did send them the answer.
• Last but not the least.....I can't be omnipresent.A patient of mine was disappointed that I could not reach in time for her delivery.She progressed from 3 cms to 10 cms within 10 to 15 mnts while I was having my dinner.I couldn't finish the dinner and rushed in between but the baby was quicker.He was attended well by Dr Deepa Maheshwari but still.....I know my presence reassures them.

That is all for the time being. Hope to come back with some good and interesting stories to share.