My Hero
Times of India recently carried a story regarding hospitals making a killing on stents and implants. This story generated a lot of debate on ethics of doctors, doctors fee and patients misery. Among the doctors a view was given regarding high profit margins of chemists, opticians, equipment suppliers not being an issue of any debate but treatment charges being constantly criticized. It is true that if the hospital purchases a disposable at half price and supplies it at MRP there is no illegality involved, specially if the hospital is registered under Drugs and Cosmetics Act as a licensed pharmacy / chemist shop. Some hospitals add a service charge of upto 15 % over and above the MRP to stock and supply drugs and disposables which has been criticized . This has an example in hotel industry where a bottle of coke with MRP of 12 Rs is billed at Rs 60 or more without an ounce of protest from any quarter.
However my issue is different. A doctor’s fee / hospital charges is not a matter of consumer dispute. This has been settled in National Commission in its judgement in case of B Shekhar Hegde vs Dr Sudhanshu Bhattacharya and ANR. Patient had undergone CABG and paid total of 38665 as operation charges and 13081 as service charges to hospital of which 1500 was operating surgeon Dr Bhattacharya’s share. However Dr Bhattacharya had also charged a sum of Rs 40000 as charges for post operative care and treatment independent of the hospital bill as per mutual understanding. The Commission held that “how much to charge as fee for medical services is the choice of the medical practitioner even though it may appear unreasonable and unjustified”. This view was endorsed in case of Bakshish Singh vs Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research by Chandigarh State Commission in 1998 wherein it is stated in the judgment that the cost or price charged for rendering a service is not a matter of consumer dispute..
Point of the matter is doctors feel that other professionals like advocates , architects, Chartered Accountants are paid extremely well compared to them despite long and hard working ours with poor family and social life. For this however we only have ourselves to blame. If we do not value our work others will definitely not value it. If we hold free camps, give 20 % discounts and try to undercut our competitor it is unlikely to yield different results. Even the best of consultants in the best of hospitals are paid about 800 Rs for a consultation which may last upto 30 minutes. This is something we need to change. If a Padamshree doctor with years of experience does not feel he deserves minimum Rs 25000 for a consultation then it is our own fault for which we should not blame others.
Let me come to my hero. He is none other than Dr Sudhanshu Bhattacharya who is a senior cardiothoracic surgeon who in 1990 could charge Rs 40000 for post operative care and stick to his stand in courts till he was vindicated. Today there is an article in Times of India about him in which he acknowledges that he charges 10-20 times what other surgeons charge and he deserves it. Being the highest taxpayer among doctors in the country proves that his practice has not suffered because he charges much more.
Times of India recently carried a story regarding hospitals making a killing on stents and implants. This story generated a lot of debate on ethics of doctors, doctors fee and patients misery. Among the doctors a view was given regarding high profit margins of chemists, opticians, equipment suppliers not being an issue of any debate but treatment charges being constantly criticized. It is true that if the hospital purchases a disposable at half price and supplies it at MRP there is no illegality involved, specially if the hospital is registered under Drugs and Cosmetics Act as a licensed pharmacy / chemist shop. Some hospitals add a service charge of upto 15 % over and above the MRP to stock and supply drugs and disposables which has been criticized . This has an example in hotel industry where a bottle of coke with MRP of 12 Rs is billed at Rs 60 or more without an ounce of protest from any quarter.
However my issue is different. A doctor’s fee / hospital charges is not a matter of consumer dispute. This has been settled in National Commission in its judgement in case of B Shekhar Hegde vs Dr Sudhanshu Bhattacharya and ANR. Patient had undergone CABG and paid total of 38665 as operation charges and 13081 as service charges to hospital of which 1500 was operating surgeon Dr Bhattacharya’s share. However Dr Bhattacharya had also charged a sum of Rs 40000 as charges for post operative care and treatment independent of the hospital bill as per mutual understanding. The Commission held that “how much to charge as fee for medical services is the choice of the medical practitioner even though it may appear unreasonable and unjustified”. This view was endorsed in case of Bakshish Singh vs Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research by Chandigarh State Commission in 1998 wherein it is stated in the judgment that the cost or price charged for rendering a service is not a matter of consumer dispute..
Point of the matter is doctors feel that other professionals like advocates , architects, Chartered Accountants are paid extremely well compared to them despite long and hard working ours with poor family and social life. For this however we only have ourselves to blame. If we do not value our work others will definitely not value it. If we hold free camps, give 20 % discounts and try to undercut our competitor it is unlikely to yield different results. Even the best of consultants in the best of hospitals are paid about 800 Rs for a consultation which may last upto 30 minutes. This is something we need to change. If a Padamshree doctor with years of experience does not feel he deserves minimum Rs 25000 for a consultation then it is our own fault for which we should not blame others.
Let me come to my hero. He is none other than Dr Sudhanshu Bhattacharya who is a senior cardiothoracic surgeon who in 1990 could charge Rs 40000 for post operative care and stick to his stand in courts till he was vindicated. Today there is an article in Times of India about him in which he acknowledges that he charges 10-20 times what other surgeons charge and he deserves it. Being the highest taxpayer among doctors in the country proves that his practice has not suffered because he charges much more.
If doctors continue to short sell themselves the situation will not rectify on its own. I had once appealed to all doctors across India to raise their fee by 25 % in wake of the 11 . 5 crore judgment and had received a lot of flak for it. What we need are more Dr Sudhanshu Bhatacharyas in our midst who have the courage of conviction to state unhesitatingly that they deserve to be paid more for their services.
Dr Neeraj Nagpal
Convenor, Medicos Legal Action Group
Ex President IMA Chandigarh
09316517176 e mail; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For Contributions; "Medicos Legal Action Group" Ac No 499601010036479 IFSC code UBIN0549967 Union Bank Sector 35 C Chandigarh;
Convenor, Medicos Legal Action Group
Ex President IMA Chandigarh
09316517176 e mail; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For Contributions; "Medicos Legal Action Group" Ac No 499601010036479 IFSC code UBIN0549967 Union Bank Sector 35 C Chandigarh;
