[kamaal]

>>I could have easily paid from my own pocket - it cost just over $2K USD - not a big amount for middle class Indians for life threatening surgery.

You could have, sure easily! Besides a person who has traveled to US doesn't fall under middle class category anymore. Sorry you don't. In a country where kids die of hunger and where parts of the country manage to barely eat two rotis a day with salt- traveling and working in the US is a rich man's luxury.

Sorry to be putting it this bluntly, but in India anybody apart from Mukesh Ambani thinks he belongs to the middle class.

Most people(The middle class- People who make around 10/15K rupees a month) can't pay for expensive medical treatments, medication, post-op follow ups etc and that's a fact.

>> If you dont have a good experience with a hospital you can choose to write a review on Mouthshut.com and have them get less business.

Yeah right. I find it hilarious when techies offer solutions like these to common people who don't even know how to turn on a computer.

[dheer01]

My cook makes 15K per month. Life threatening procedures are relatively rare. Incase he has to go through a similar surgery he can go for a 'package' which will cost him 50K. There are no 'noticeable' differences between the health care that he will get to what my family member got. He can afford 50K for something as rare and life threatening like this.

Mouthshut.com was just an example to demonstrate what it means to have a free market. My cook obviously can't access it - but he will ask me and his relatives on which doctor/hospital is good/cheap. He faces greater infomation assymetry - but the fundamental advantages of a free'r market still accrue.

[symr]

I agree. A large portion of the population barely makes between 5-15k per month that is not sufficient for 3 meals a day + housing + school education. Forget surgery, they can't afford routine doctor consultation, diagnostic tests and medication. And yes, diagnostic tests are almost always done whether needed or not.