Today was a really good day for me. We started the day with a lecture which I
found very interesting. It was in
regards to Gen Y and IT going forward in today’s India. We discussed the issues that face the
emerging market, what has changed in society and culture here, and some of the
things that might need to change going forward to help India in its continued
growth. I enjoyed it very much. We were actually cut off by a fellow student
who was ready for lunch while a couple of us were still asking questions.
Following the great lecture we boarded the van to go to
Narayana Health very near our college here in Bangalore. As I
mentioned before, I was very excited about this opportunity! We were escorted into the facility and to an
academic round for a presentation. The
director of neurosurgery, Dr. Komal Prasad, addressed us informally and
answered questions which were thrown at him mostly by me, but also by
Connor. I was fascinated! Some of the items discussed were micro
insurance, a policy that is intended for low income earners to afford health
insurance at as little as .15 cents per day (as in $0.15 USD). The average cost for a coronary artery bypass
graft under U.S. Medicare is $20,000-$42,000, and Indian private hospital is
$5,000, and at Narayana, it is $2,000!
And I was told that even at $2,000, they make a profit at over 7%. Granted that their volume is absolutely huge,
but that’s still pretty impressive! We
toured the facility: Inside the main
building and the cardiac center, and viewed from afar the cancer center, eye
institute, trauma center, and multiple other specialty buildings. This man was just so interesting to talk
to. He gracefully answered all of the
questions I could think of to ask, and never seemed bothered despite the fact
that we took up two hours of his very busy day.
I’m excited to tell my coworkers about it all when I see them! The facts are amazing, though it couldn’t
ever work like this in our country.
People here will wait to see a doctor for hours without complaint. There is little privacy s the laws here are
very different than those in the U.S., and we have such an overly abused
assistance program already, that sufficiently modifying it would take power
that we don’t have. They have multiple, multifunctional hospitals around the country and are building another in the Cayman
Islands. The director of neurology (?)
gave us a few minutes as well. He was
quiet and kind and was so glad to meet us!
He asked us our names and where we’re visiting from, and told us about
the board exams that his students would take beginning this coming week. Good luck, students!
After our amazing visit which I didn’t want to end (I think
I had about 25 more questions, and that was before the answers raised more
questions), we went back to the dorms to get ready for our evening out. After much drama and a spat between another
group-member and myself (which ended in somewhat unnecessary apologies all
around from me), we all were ready and boarded the rented van to go to a club
called Skyye for the evening. It is a
rooftop club/bar in the center of the city with views for miles. It got dark quickly, lighting up the city and
the floor of the outdoor terrace. I had
a few drinks, enjoyed the time with my new friends (Indian and American), and
danced the night away. Everyone had a
genuinely good time! Most of us arrived
back at the dorm at about 2 am which required special approval from about 4
people. I felt like I was 12 years old
again asking permission to spend time out on a school night. I promptly went to sleep for about 3 hours
before rising to get back on the bus to go to Mysore for the day (more on that
visit in the next post).
Until then…
