I had to be admitted for acute gastroenteritis in a famous costly private hospital in Delhi on 23.10.2020 and was discharged on 28.10.2020. Despite corona-constraints, hospital-services were otherwise satisfactory except a complaint against a male nursing-attendant for which hospital must have taken action after a complaint being lodged with the hospital. Even a senior officer of rank of Deputy General Manager (DGM) was always available in case of some requirement.
But attitude of attending senior consultant having daily flying visits without satisfactorily talking to the patient was against medical ethics and requirements. He refused to look into the prescription of a very renowned medical-practitioner which I was using for taking regular oral medicines including of diabetes which kept my blood-sugar level well under control. My request for shifting my case to Gastro-unit from General-Medicine unit was also turned down by him. I again requested at time of discharge that my old prescription may be referred for advising medicines in discharge-summary to refer oral diabetes-medicines which kept my blood-sugar well under control for decades. He insisted that he would talk about old prescription only after five days after discharge after deposit of rupees 2500 as consultation fees. I narrated incident to DGM of hospital orally.
Result was diabetes-medicine prescribed in discharge-summary shot up my blood sugar level on next day to high 474 in the evening of 29.10.2020 which would have further increased after dinner. I immediately consulted my doctor-friends on phone who advised me to immediately revert back to pre-hospitalization diabetes-medicines and thereafter blood-sugar after taking dinner came down to 300. Even then fearing any problem in night my family had to take me to a private consultant in night hours.
I am not naming the hospital because I do not wish to affect high reputation of the hospital where my family always gets cordial attitude. But Medical Council of India and Union Health Ministry and Delhi Government must issue guidelines for senior consultants to avoid them converting into medical dacoits playing with lives of patients through such money-minting attitude.
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL