Decoding Healthcare in India: Part V

Part V: The Indian Medical System — A Balanced View

UdaipurTimes, Oct 15, 2026 - Your health is your most irreplaceable asset and therefore, should be treated accordingly. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the medical system in your country and preparing and planning in advance based on this information is the advisable way forward. 

To read Part IV, click here

India as a Medical Destination: A Genuine Strength

One significant and under-appreciated fact: India offers genuinely world-class medical care at a fraction of the cost of comparable treatment in Western countries. For many complex procedures, like cardiac surgery, joint replacements, oncology treatment, organ transplants, India's best hospitals offer outcomes very near to that of best international standards, with waiting times that are far shorter than in countries like Canada or the UK.

For Indians who have the option of treatment abroad, the calculus is different but for most citizens, the Indian medical system, when navigated intelligently, is capable of delivering excellent care.

Distinguishing Commercialisation from Fraud

Not everything that feels wrong in the Indian medical system is fraud. Some of it is commercialisation which deserves scrutiny but operates differently.

Commercialisation means charging higher prices for services, or paying commissions to referring agents. These practices raise costs and deserve systemic reform, but they do not necessarily compromise the quality of treatment.

Fraud is something different: forcing patients to conduct tests exclusively at the hospital's own facility without medical justification; recommending unnecessary procedures (needless root canals, unnecessary angiographies for young patients with no risk factors, unnecessary surgeries); billing for treatments not given; or deceiving patients about the nature of their condition to inflate costs.

If something feels wrong, that you are being pushed toward a specific pharmacy, diagnostic centre or procedure without clear clinical reasoning, ask questions. Get second opinions. You are entitled to challenge anything you do not understand.

What the Indian Medical System Still Needs

The gaps in India's healthcare system are real and worth naming. Senior specialist doctors are rarely available at night in most hospitals, a practice standard in the US that would save lives in India. Published schedules of after-hours doctors’ avaibility would help patients make informed choices.

The 30-minute appointment model standard in the UK or US, where doctors allocate meaningful time per patient and that time can be scheduled and paid for, is largely absent in India. Most consultations are over in minutes, with inadequate time for proper history-taking and patient education.

Medical board consultations where a panel of specialists reviews a complex case together need to be formalised and made accessible to paying patients across more Indian hospitals.

Digitising all medical records at every hospital is still a dream. Even big hospitals are still far away from this. If done then this will keep patients history safe for any future use.

Insurance companies do not allow to change a broker in most cases, which is not right. IRDA need to look into this for consumer protection.

These are some of the key systemic changes that patients can advocate for and that the medical establishment should prioritise.

A Way Forward: Plan Before You Need To

No one wants to think about illness. But the people who navigate medical crises best are those who thought about it before they were in the middle of one. They have insurance. They have a trusted advisor. They know which diagnostic centres to use and why. They have organised their documents. They understand how to engage a doctor. They have done their annual check-ups.

The purpose of this article was never to make you an expert in medicine. It was to trigger your thinking to ensure that if and when a health challenge comes, you are not making your most important decisions in your worst moments, without knowledge, without preparation and without a plan.

Civic education through school textbook, with further enhanced by government, NGO, corporate and community-sponsored activities are need of the hour.

Use your logic. Seek good counsel. Make your decisions based on facts, not fear, superstition or what someone shared on social media. And if something does go wrong, do not blame fate. Ask yourself what you could have done differently and then use that knowledge to protect the people you love.

Your health is your most irreplaceable asset. Treat it accordingly.

Rajesh Chaplot is the recipient of:

• Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award 2019, the highest Non-Resident Indian Award, conferred upon him by the President of India
• Golden Jubilee Award 2020, the highest Civilian Award, conferred upon him by the President of Uganda