Sir,
I would like to narrate a poignant story of a relative of mine who died after a botched-up operation. The patient was diagnosed with the cancer of the colon and, subsequently, he underwent chemotherapy with around eight sittings.
Initially, he lost weight; and towards the fag end of the therapy, his health improved to almost normalcy and he gained seven kilos weight and had a normal appetite. Then, the oncologist asked him to consult a surgeon in the same hospital; and the surgeon recommended a surgery to remove the colon! The poor man with implicit faith in the doctor readily agreed and was operated upon. Within a few days, he developed complications in the lungs and was placed under ventilator in the ICU. After a week, the patient died with a staggering Rs 9-lakh bill to settle. Now, the moot point is why a surgery was recommended when the patient had responded positively to chemotherapy and was on road to recovery? Was it not sheer greed and avarice of this hospital? In fact, the surgeon candidly admitted that he should not have carried out the operation. An innocent patient, who reposed full faith in the doctors, had to meet an unfortunate end.
Now, if this had happened in a hospital of the USA or Europe, the hospital would have been sued for millions of dollars and the Government would have taken severe action against the erring hospital. Even in India, it would not have been possible in States like Kerala, where public awareness and reaction would have discouraged the hospitals to indulge in unethical practices. As a concerned citizen, I want to know who will take to task these greedy hospitals, where doctors are given revenue targets?