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no idea what it meant then. Like many, I came home from work and Googled her

diagnosis for two straight hours to find out. She was diagnosed with Stage II cervical

cancer that day at Chennais leading cancer treatment centre. I was later surprised to

learn that this type of cancer affects nearly 300,000 women every year around the world

and it is also one of the leading causes of deaths for women in India.

Before I jumped into any conclusions right away, I went ahead and did a detailed

comparison of Indian and U.S. healthcare systemsa journey which changed my

perspectives on Indias set-up. Heres what I found.

Strong Support Systems

The support system in India is incredible. I will be surprised if any of the westernnations can even come close. The day my mother was diagnosed, she got all the support

needed with everyone in my family around her. She still thinks that this is the number

one reason for recovery and positive outlook.

In U.S., unfortunately, families are weakly knit. According to Census.gov, a U.S.

government website that captures national census information, the average family size

in U.S. was between 2.61 to 3.28 in 2009. This is well below the 3.35 to 5.47 for India

during the same period. Similarly, looking at the trends data on household sizes, a

number that has been shrinking between 1970 and 2007 in the U.S., we can say that

families are definitely beginning to include only the parents and kids, or just a single

parent and kids. No grandparents or extended families are a part of most U.S. families

today.

I think this is a troubling trend which has to be reversed. Take for instance in Texas,Medicaid, an insurance system which pays for the poor, pays for the transportation of

patients to hospital. Although this seems like a nice idea at first, it simply shows the kind

of support that people dont receive automatically from their family or friends. Solving

such a long-term systemic problem is going to be difficult. U.S. can learn about the

benefits of including elderly parents in families as a grassroots level fix to solving its

long-term debt and healthcare cost problems.

Easy Access to Care

Access to healthcare is defined by a patients ability get to a primary or specialty care

hospital. If you live in a metropolitan city in India, this is generally readily available. The

problem comes when you live in a rural part of the country. Having a health insurance is

a big factor in the U.S. In addition, getting an appointment for the doctor of your choice

is challenging. Your doctor has to be in your insurance network. If not, you may end up

paying a lot. Even after going through these hurdles, it is still hard to get anappointment at your convenience. Doctors dont see you on the weekends and you need

to book an appointment at least three weeks in advance. If you need to see a doctor right

away, you have to be reallysick and visit the emergency room of a hospital only to find

out that you have to wait for four more hours.

Getting your tests done is another monster. Your insurance must cover all these services

and you have to make an appointment with the hospital. All of which could easily add up

to a four-week waiting period.

Now, lets turn our focus to the Indian scene. A recent IMS Institute studywas quoted

saying that 60 percent of urban Indians get ready access to providers. This is very true in

my case. All my mothers appointments and tests were scheduled within two days of her

diagnosis and were completed in less than a week. This would have been impossible in

the U.S. in its current set-up. Basic access to care is fragmented and available only aftersorting out the complicated health insurance structure. Even though the quality of care

might not be up to U.S. standards, India has done a great job of making routine things

easily available. It is easy to get an appointment, easy to pay for an appointment, and

easy to schedule your tests.

Paying for Care

Paying for care in India is relatively simple I am not arguing that it is always

affordable for everyone. If one can pay for the care, the prices are actually very

transparent. For three months, a combined chemotherapy and radiation cost exactly

what the doctors initially estimated. Our family was never surprised with the final bill.

Although that says nothing about the cost or its effectiveness, price was still transparent.

We roughly knew what we were getting into before we agreed to the treatment plans.

There is no way we know the price of treatments ahead of time in the U.S. Costs arealways hidden and variable depending on the type of insurance coverage and your risk

profile. If you are employed and if your employer provides a good comprehensive

insurance package, you are completely shielded away from the costs because you end up

paying almost nothing.

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sanjay September 30, 2014 at 7:44 pm

Agree , t he healthcare delivery in Indian Hospitals particularly in metro is world class and

the proof is the sizable number of overseas patients flocking there establishments, besides

Social factor do play a major role. But India is not metro cities alone, perhaps time to

analyses similar patients diagnosed in rural part of the country. In my discussion with a

senior doctor from public health I was informed that in some regions of country the

percentage of women suffering from cervical cancer is as high as 18-19% with most in stage

3 or 4.

Reply

Reply

Vijay Ramnath Jayaraman September 30, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Good to hear your success story, Mousumi!

Mousumi Ghosh September 29, 2014 at 12:43 pm

I completely agree with you. In December 2013 I got a cornea graphting done here in

Kolkata, India much against public peception. I am doing fine.

Reply

Reply


Thanks for visiting us Vasu!

Vasu September 26, 2014 at 11:32 am

It's good so me one talking about go od Indian Health System and comparing to American

Health System. If I'm talking about government health system in India is very bad because

this health system meant for poor people. There is no care for patient their recovery and

there is no guaranty for there life. In India such good facility available for rich people only.

This is real India.

Reply

Nirad September 20, 2014 at 12:14 am

Is it really that Bad in US? Bit surprised by the article.

Coming back to my own story, my mother is completely fine now. In early 2013, she

even visited the U.S. and spoke to a few physicians there. They were all amazed by the

care she received in Chennai. I think all the credit goes to her strong will, support from

family, the doctors who treated her, and, most importantly, the system that made easy

access possible in cities.

In conclusion, it is clear that both countries have their strengths and weaknesses. If the

U.S. draws lessons from Indias strengthssupportive social structure, simple payment

systems and cost of careit could act as a stepping stone into its future. India, on the

other hand, must consolidate its pluses and ensure that it ups its game to tackle the

negatives. A lot still needs to be done, but I am optimistic.

Tags:Access to healthcare, cancer, Cervical Cancer, Chennai, emergency room, healthreform, India, United States

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I view the U.S. healthcare as 1) Healthcare Problem: Which is the care

received by patients which is mostly available to everyone in the U.S.

Usually the care is also high quality and produces good outcomes and

2) Health Insurance Problem: This is where the barriers of care exist.

Unless, you have a good insurance through an employer/self-funded,

you are largely responsible f or paying for costs which could run up to

thousands of dollars resulting in delayed care. Thanks Nirad.

Good to hear your success story, Mousumi!

September 30, 2014 19:44 pm by sanjay



system?

Agree , the healthcare delivery in Indian

Hospitals particularly in metro is world class

and the proof is the sizable number of

overseas patients flocking there

establishments, besides Social factor do playa major role. But India is not metro cities

alone, perhaps time to analyses similar pati...

September 29, 2014 12:43 pm by Mousumi Ghosh



system?

I completely agree with you. In December

2013 I got a cornea graphting done here in

Kolkata, India much against public peception.

I am doing fine.

Vijay Ramnath JayaramanSeptember 26, 2014 20:03 pm by Vijay Ramnath

Jayaraman



system?

Thanks for visiting us Vasu!

September 26, 2014 11:32 am by Vasu



system?

It's good some one talking about good Indian

Health System and comparing to American

Health System. If I'm talking about

government health system in India is very

bad because this health system meant for

poor people. There is no care for patient their

recovery and there is no guaranty for there

life...

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