Dr.Srinivasa Raju

Are India’s corporate hospitals still ours? Or is healthcare slowly slipping out of reach for the common man? Have you ever wondered why hospital bills and insurance premiums in India keep shooting up? It’s not just inflation. There’s a bigger business game playing out behind the scenes. What’s really happening? Some of the world’s biggest money players—especially from the US—are buying up major hospital chains in India. Healthcare in America costs a fortune, and now the same model is being quietly pushed into India. A few hard truths: Big hospitals, foreign control:  Large chains like Manipal, CARE, and Aster are now largely owned or controlled by foreign investors. Insurance–hospital nexus:  Companies like Policybazaar are moving towards owning hospitals themselves. They sell you insurance, and then make sure your money flows back into their own hospitals. Small hospitals disappearing:  Affordable neighborhood hospitals are being taken over or pushed out by big chains,...

Why am I, a doctor, speaking about RTI? Because healthcare is no longer held in the hands—or hearts—of doctors. It has shifted into files, fine print, and financial protocols. Medicine was once an art guided by judgment and compassion. Today, treatment follows algorithms, hospital empanelment rules, insurance clauses hidden in footnotes, and taxes that punish care as commerce. When decisions move from bedside to balance sheet, Silence is no longer professionalism. It is surrender. ✔️ Foreign PE/global investors do hold significant stakes in Indian hospital chains (Manipal, CARE, Aster, etc.). This is documented and ongoing . ✔️ Insurance–hospital integration is increasing (TPAs, insurer-owned networks, preferred provider models). This can push up billed costs , though direct ownership by insurers is still limited and regulated. ✔️ Consolidation pressure on small hospitals is real; compliance costs + insurance pricing disadvantage independents. ❌ “India will become like the ...

Disclaimer: Why am I, a doctor, speaking about RTI? Because healthcare is no longer held in the hands—or hearts—of doctors. It has shifted into files, fine print, and financial protocols. Medicine was once an art guided by judgment and compassion. Today, treatment follows algorithms, hospital empanelment rules, insurance clauses hidden in footnotes, and taxes that punish care as commerce. When decisions move from bedside to balance sheet, Silence is no longer professionalism. It is surrender. You don’t have to go to America—America’s healthcare model is coming to India. Global investors are buying major hospital chains. Insurance-linked networks are rising. Small affordable hospitals are disappearing. Result? Higher bills, forced insurance, healthcare driven by ROI—not patients. Better infrastructure is welcome. US-style profiteering is not. Healthcare must remain a public good, not a financial product. How to file RTI to private hospital for patient medical records? Private hospi...