The numbers speak of Chennai's rise as a medical capital: More than two lakh cataract surgeries in a year, a two-fold jump in caesarean section, a sharp spiral in hysterectomies. They also belie an uncomfortable truth: Doctors are increasingly becoming scalpel-happy.
If your doctor asks you to undergo a cataract surgery, hysterectomy, gall bladder or tonsils removal, or an operation of the lower-back, please take a second opinion. Wide-ranging interviews with surgeons who testified before an NGO on corrupt practices in hospitals told TOI that often patients are forced to undergo unnecessary surgeries.
A senior orthopedic surgeon in a corporate hospital explained the reason behind this unsettling trend: "We have a quota to meet every month. Many of us see patients as a potential candidate on our operating table. Only two out of five, however, agree. Many go for a second opinion - and don't return."
The surgeon is among the 78 medical practitioners who provided testimony to Pune-based NGO SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives) that compiled a report on unethical practices and corruption in healthcare. From Chennai, 12 doctors testified.
SATHI coordinator Dr Abhay Shukla said elective surgeries (that do not involve a medical emergency) are the most popular. "Many of these surgeries don't involve too many risks, while at the same time fetches more revenue for the hospitals," he said.
SATHI in February compiled a report on corrupt practices in healthcare. "A doctor said he was pulled up by the hospital administration for having only a 10% 'conversion rate' - referring to the number of patients who were advised to undergo surgery," said Dr Shukla. "To be fair, the doctors are not entirely at fault. For a Rs2 lakh surgery, the doctor, probably gets Rs25,000, while the rest goes to the hospital," he said.
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