TODAY -

Hospitals : Learn a bit about hospitality

Kajal Chatterjee *



Which is the most irritating thing when one's own gets admitted to the hospital! Regular attendance during visiting hours and even in odd hours for various emergency situations, blood administration or signatures in various papers with regular life (from office duties to sleep) going for a toss !

No, this duty is required to be done and the relatives are ready to go till the last mile. Payments! For those who are insured for limitless amount or several lakhs or have enough resources at disposal, hardly any issue.

For those who are not much well-off, yet have to admit patients in private/Corporate hospitals then it could mean immense financial strain. These immense toll can still be endured as there lies no other option left, else they would have to leave their own untreated at home!

But what remains simply intolerable is the highly insensitive nature of the hospitals (be it an internationally-reputed Corporate one or the local private one). And the insensitivity starts right from the doors of the Emergency section.

In contrast to a pre-planned admission ready with money and mental preparation; the patient gaining entry through Emergency has invariably landed in extreme serious condition, either falling victim to an accident or brain haemmorage.

So it is obvious that the incident has arrived as a bolt from the blue in the minds of the mentally unprepared companions of the patient with the not so well-off in tensed situation how to arrange necessary money within short time if operational procedures are required to be done.

When minimum humanity demands a sensitive attitude towards the patient and the companions in physical/ mental distress, the first step of insensitivity starts from the Emergency door itself. Yes, in my two-time experience in a highly "prestigious" Corporate hospital, got aback to notice both times, how despite the rushed entry of the ambulance with it's siren in highest decibel possible; the Emergency staff felt no need to rush out with stretchers !

Only after hapless companion makes an entry to the Emergency and report the arrival of a serious patient, only thereafter a trolley/stretcher gets brought out in snail's pace, that too in such a situation when every minute or even a second is crucial!

Now that the critical patient gets at last taken within the Emergency, the security personnel enter in "active" mode preventing entry of more than 1 companion (as witnessed in all "class" of hospitals)! Nothing can be more inhumane than this. Suppose an incident happens in front of A. But the history background of the critical patient is known in detail by B.

Now if either A or B gets allowed in the Emergency, would the treating Doctors get the complete picture of the patient ! It may also happen that A is knowledgeable about the background of the patient and also witnessed the sudden illness; but he/she might not portray the picture vividly out of sheer nervousness.

So presence of another stable companion is urgently needed in the Emergency. Also A might miss a crucial point revolving around patient in such a chaotic situation which can be pointed out by B if he/she gets allowed to enter the Emergency. It is indeed a wonder why at least 2 persons are not allowed in the Emergency!

Is there any vested interest behind it! Often the sole relation is zealously insisted whether to offer consent to the "immediately to be done" operation or not as if there lies no other option and the operation is an "absolute guarantee" of the survival of the patient!

Had a second person been allowed to be present, he/ she could have asked a counter question or the first one could have a consultation with him/her as far as awarding consent to the procedure is concerned. So this heartless mindset of not allowing more than 1 relation in the Emergency certainly invokes question of doubt whether this form a "business strategy" of the hospitals! Now that the patient has been admitted to the hospital with the relatives supposed to meet only in visiting hours.

Just having a glimpse of the patient is not enough, the relatives remain most curious and tensed about the current state of the patient - - whether he/she is improving, what are the results of the tests, what is the opinion of the treating Doctor ! But barring exceptions, the attendants and medical personnel of the ICCU/Ward invariably "know nothing"!

So they simply pass the buck to the others and finally to the treating Doctor! Whether they seriously remain in the dark without any coordination or intentionally act "ignorant" so as to hide the real picture is unknown; but at the end of the day the tensed family members have to search for the Doctor to provide feedbacks about the patient!

Recently I was asked to meet a Doctor-in-call for an admitted relative with the appointment scheduled on 1 pm. Despite getting continously assured of "he is on the way"; I was intimated on 3.15 pm that due to "unavoidable situation", the Doctor will arrive between 8-9 pm! And when returned to the hospital dot on 8 pm, the Doctor ultimately arrived around 10 pm!

And of course no question of even an iota of apology on the part of the Doctor and Hospital! Whenever any admission happens, the family members go through all kinds of turmoil --- physical financial emotional accompanied with severe tension with normal life routine and several other important works getting absolutely disrupted !

And amidst this turmoil, hospitals act it's insensitive worst! Whatever money getting demanded, it gets met. All sorts of conditions revolving visiting hours, demand of signing all kinds of Bonds (common undertaking being "Hospital not responsible for any procedure going wrong"), Blood requisitions - - all get satisfied. In exchange, what do the relatives expect !

Even the best Doctor/Hospital in the world can never guarantee that the admitted patient will surely recover or survive because there are certain things beyond medical science! Else human beings could have become immortal!

So the least the relatives desire - - just a proper transmission of comprehensive information regarding latest health status of the patient (just once in a day) and a fixed time (between X and Y hours) to meet the Doctors. Yet the Hospitals can't ensure this minimal service also!

Most of the high-end Corporate hospitals not only take a handsome amount as advance; they continue to send latest Bills through WhatsApp every day and also directly make a call imploring the relatives to submit certain amount each day without taking into consideration the mental plight and financial condition of the relatives.

Had these "technologically advanced" hospitals cared to send latest medical status of the patient with such regularity to the Whatsapp number of the relative, surely the latter would have found a bit of relief!

Actually when the only motive of the hospitals have got "promoted" to sheer business instead of providing service, this moral downfall and exhibition of supreme insensitivity is inevitable. When will the Hospitals in general learn to appreciate the essence of "Hospitality" and act in a bit humane and sensitive way ?


* Kajal Chatterjee wrote this article for The Sangai Express
This article was webcasted on May 20 2025.



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