With all due respect to our land's apex court and with heartfelt concern for the plight of dr.kunal saha,our dreams that medical tourism is going to fetch some good foreign currency are going to be shattered by the verdict of supreme court in the Kunal Saha case on 24 October,where The court asked Kolkata’s AMRI Hospital to cough up around Rs 6 crore along with interest of 6 percent per annum reckoned from 1998 that works out to an aggregate of Rs 11 crore to Saha, whose wife died due to inappropriate treatment for skin rashes( a rare and deadly skin disease -- Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN)) given by the hospital.
So, how this verdict affects the virgin industry of medical tourism in india?
What should ring alarm bells for Indian medical industry is the Court’s unambiguous enunciation that compensation for medical negligence cannot be straight jacketed in the Indian milieu – if the victims were a US resident, the compensation in such cases must be calculated on the basis of her potential income in the US. This feature of the verdict is what is going to make Indian hospitals ratchet up their fees from foreign nationals thus considerably neutralising the cost advantage that has hitherto made the country a preferred medical tourist destination.
so,what are the consequences now?
1.Make continuing education a reality and consumer courts less menacing for doctors .Why can't our govt planned to commission the Medical tribunal exclusively to deal with soured doctor-patient relations?
2.The quality of students taken in and the quality of medical colleges must be improved. National level uniform curriculum and exams like NEET must be encouraged.
3.IMA should impart medico-legal awareness to its members.
4. IMA should fight in judiciary to set the ceiling for monitary penalty.
So, how this verdict affects the virgin industry of medical tourism in india?
What should ring alarm bells for Indian medical industry is the Court’s unambiguous enunciation that compensation for medical negligence cannot be straight jacketed in the Indian milieu – if the victims were a US resident, the compensation in such cases must be calculated on the basis of her potential income in the US. This feature of the verdict is what is going to make Indian hospitals ratchet up their fees from foreign nationals thus considerably neutralising the cost advantage that has hitherto made the country a preferred medical tourist destination.
so,what are the consequences now?
1.increase in hospitalisation and other related medical and diagnostic expenses for patients.
2.hospitals and private practitioners are bound to take malpractice insurance seriously much to the joy of insurance companies which are reeling under losses.
3.The medical profession, may be noble but things could turn nasty if a doctor is even slightly derelict in his duties.
4.The mad rush for medical seats will be on the decline
what IMA should do?
1.Make continuing education a reality and consumer courts less menacing for doctors .Why can't our govt planned to commission the Medical tribunal exclusively to deal with soured doctor-patient relations?
2.The quality of students taken in and the quality of medical colleges must be improved. National level uniform curriculum and exams like NEET must be encouraged.
3.IMA should impart medico-legal awareness to its members.
4. IMA should fight in judiciary to set the ceiling for monitary penalty.
"Medical profession deals with human lives is the main if emotive reason for it bearing the cross when things sour"
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