Mar 23, 2009 01:25 PM
21228 Views
(Updated Apr 06, 2009 06:28 PM)
Our baby was due in 1st Apr 2009. We planned to get our baby delivered at Manipal Hospital, Bangalore. Our consulting doctor was one of the senior practitioner at Manipal.
We had been consulting at Apollo Hospital until 28 weeks before moving to the doctor at Manipal hospital. Our prime reason for changing the doctor was to increase the chances of normal delivery.
Let me start with my experience about the doctor before I talk about the hospital. My personal opinion about Dr. is that she is extremely efficient but quite busy. At times, I felt (Though, it may not be true) that she didn't spent adequate time to examine the patient. Also, unlike Apollo hospital doctors she is not easily available on her mobile.
My worst ever experience at any hospital has been at Manipal Hospital when I went there for UG scan during 33rd week. Unfortunately, appointments for the scanning doctor were not available for several weeks. I had to spend 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM get the scanning done. Awful experience.
Finally, I admitted my wife at Manipal Hospital in the evening on 16th March for baby delivery. It was 38Th week of pregnancy with no significant complication. Scanning was done at the diagnostic center suggested by the doctor 2 days before hospitalization. Doctor informed us that the baby has grown big.
Scanning report was showing 3.08 Kgs. This report seemed quite odd to me because the baby was approximately 1.8 Kgs just before less than a month (Actual baby weight during delivery was 400 gms less). Anyway, doctor suggested that if we prefer normal delivery then we can wait but in that case baby may grow bigger making it difficult or impossible for normal delivery. She suggested that we should go for planned normal delivery. She told us that she would operate in case of any complication.
As par doctor's suggestion my wife was admitted at the hospital and she was taken into the maternity word. In maternity ward many patients were kept. There is no privacy in this area. You can hardly rest in peace because you would hear patients screaming from nearby beds. Also, no attendant cot was provided. It was a painful experience altogether.
However, I must say that nurses and patient coordinators were extremely helpful and competent. Two injections was given to stimulate pain and contraction. However, my wife didn't have pain until next morning. Doctor visited us in the morning and suggested that she must operate to get the baby out. Baby was delivered through c-section on the same day at noon. Baby and the mother were shifted to a private room (Rs. 3700 per day) approximately after 3 hours.
Private room (708) was extremely bad and so was the ambiance. Hot water was coming from both the taps and this was not rectified during three days of my stay even though I complained several times about it. The bathroom walls had indication of water sippage. These walls had dark black patches all over and looked very dirty. The private room size was quite OK. It was very clean but it seemed like a clean but ugly looking room. Room was not worth the HUGE money that they charged us.
Nurses were very helpful. Smitha Ramanan was exceptionally compassionate and competent. However, not all nurses were helpful. Even, a stuff nurse told me to check the nappies before calling her when baby is crying. Being a father of a one day old baby I knew nothing about changing nappies. On the next day of her operation my wife was not even able to move on her own. A little helpful attitude could have made our experience at the hospital much better. I hesitated before approaching few nurses when baby was hungry and crying and required feeding some glucose.
Patient was very weak, bit anaemic and hardly able to move on her own when they were about to release her on third day of her operation. She was discharged on the third day with severe body ache, little fever and swollen feet and hands.
We stayed in the private room for three days. It was a regular C-section delivery and there was no complications. Still, total expenses were whopping Rs. 71000. This was much above the given estimate of Rs.50000. I believed this figure as my friends had paid total 54000 last month only. I was quite surprised to see final bill figures. Also, practitioner doctor told us that difference between normal delivery and C section was marginal. Anyway, I had an insurance cover for Rs. 50000 hence I had to pay Rs. 21000. My experience was extremely poor for Rs. 71000. I would possibly think several times before I go back to this hospital in future.
If I had to fill my feedback form after bill payments I wouldn't have given more than average in any category except food, admission and discharge timing. Because, 71000 is too huge money I paid for my quite inconvenient stay at the hospital. Never ever go to this hospital. You can consult experienced doctors parcticing at Manipal but never get anyone admitted there. They know how to inflate bills logically. Shame on Manipal's billing malpractices.
