As soon as the train pulled into Chennai, it seemed that healthcare was all around us. In the short journey from the train station to our apartment, we drove past over a dozen healthcare facilities, from a large, Apollo cancer center, to smaller speciality hospitals, to store-front single physician offices to a huge structure poised to hold 10,000 beds, and which will be run by the government.
Trying to figure out how all of these different systems fit together is daunting and overwhelming. So we met with some experts. We met with James Mathews with Health 2.0 India, and Ravi Kumar and his team from Zanec, to understand a more about the Indian patient outside of the provider relationship. James brought up the concept of “jugaad”, and Hindi word that means an innovative fix or quick workaround, and highlighted a number of organizations, such as Aravind Eye Care System and SughaVazhvu Healthcare, which embody this concept and utilize it in the healthcare space.
To better understand the patient-provider context, and how technology is used in the provider setting, we met with Dr. Arjun Rajagopalan with Sundaram Medical Foundation, who has developed a paperless EMR system, designed by physicians. We got a quick tour of the facilities emergency department, and talked in detail about the expectations of Indian patients and physicians.
From these meetings and our own research, we have observed:
- Jessica
Trying to figure out how all of these different systems fit together is daunting and overwhelming. So we met with some experts. We met with James Mathews with Health 2.0 India, and Ravi Kumar and his team from Zanec, to understand a more about the Indian patient outside of the provider relationship. James brought up the concept of “jugaad”, and Hindi word that means an innovative fix or quick workaround, and highlighted a number of organizations, such as Aravind Eye Care System and SughaVazhvu Healthcare, which embody this concept and utilize it in the healthcare space.
To better understand the patient-provider context, and how technology is used in the provider setting, we met with Dr. Arjun Rajagopalan with Sundaram Medical Foundation, who has developed a paperless EMR system, designed by physicians. We got a quick tour of the facilities emergency department, and talked in detail about the expectations of Indian patients and physicians.
From these meetings and our own research, we have observed:
- Seeing the doctor is a family affair. Patients rarely come to see a doctor alone. Seeing the emergency room at SMF seemed chaotic, until we realized that most of the people that appeared to be waiting to see a physician were waiting to hear from a relative.
- A good doctor gives you a prescription / shot every time you visit. If you leave a visit without a prescription, or even better, a shot, then it is often assumed that the doctor was no good and didn’t know what he was doing. There is a strong association between quality of care and receiving some type of follow-up pill or shot.
- Payments are made out of pocket. Most patients pay cash for services, and bills are usually settled before the patient is admitted to the facility.
- Shop around to find the doctor and facility that is right for you. Patients often visit several facilities / physicians before they settle on one. It’s almost like buying a house, as patients request tours of facilities and want to see fee charts in detail.
- Jessica