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I was traveling through India with my sister, and she got terrible food poisoning. I put her in a private hospital, where she was given incredible service and r

I was traveling through India with my sister, and she got terrible food poisoning. I put her in a private hospital, where she was given incredible service and recovered within a four days. The hospital bill was only 8000 rupees, or ~$150. My sister told me of one nurse who gave her exceptional care, so I tried to give that nurse a 5000 rupee ($100) tip. Without a moment of hesitation, she flat-out refused. Her response brought tears to my eyes - "Sir, this is my duty. There are poor people right outside, your money would really help them." As I talked to my relatives about what I experienced, I learned that Indian medical staff see their job as their dharma (duty), a belief that stems from their medical training and originally from the Bhagavad Gita, a religious text that is central to Hinduism. If I had to state a particular reason for the quality of Indian medical treatment, that's what it would be - that they consider their jobs a sacred duty. When someone truly believes that their job is a sacred duty, they will do it with a passion that cannot be artificially reproduced by a huge salary or per-patient compensation.

pkaye 12y ago
It is also because being a doctor is considered high status in India. Higher than lawyers, businessmen, engineers. Also they also command a high income. So what you did of offering a tip is more of an insult.
- habith 12y ago
  S/he tried to tip the nurse.
- kamaal 12y ago
  >>Higher than lawyers, businessmen, engineers. This was true at one point in time. May be around 2 decades back. But engineering has gotten very lucrative due to the IT boom, overall growth in economy and general demand for engineers in a high growth environment. Also engineering has a lower barrier to entry and pays better than what many physicians make these days. To make anything decent as a doctor you have to do your MD, which is expensive both in terms of investment of time and money. And even after that, the job at the hospital won't pay you anything close to what your average engineer at a MNC would get paid. And then don't forget the fact that many engineers can make money through side projects, freelancing and take adhoc risks like doing start ups which isn't even an option to most doctors.
praneshp 12y ago
I am from India, and this is definitely something that happens very often. Doctors are very high in the respect scale. Pinch of salt, don't be fooled into thinking there are no doctors out to make money, etc. A 5000 Rupee tip is humongous. It's probably what she makes every month. If you had offered Rs 500 instead, she'd have likely taken it happily.
- yitchelle 12y ago
  5000 Rupee (or 63EUR) per month for nurse? If this is close to true, I really feel for them. They work just as hard as the doctors, some even more so.
  - happyscrappy 12y ago
    How do you think prices can be so low, besides not paying for R+D?
    - praneshp 12y ago
      American prices are not high because they pay for R+D. For the medicines, maybe. I'm epileptic, and the equipment that was used for my treatment in India was consistently better than the one my neurologist used for examination when I moved here. Essential drugs are cheap because of not paying for R+D, plus government subsidies.
      - lake99 12y ago
        > Essential drugs are cheap because of not paying for R+D Not sure I'd agree there. In the west, even mundane drugs that don't need all that R&D, like common painkillers, antibiotics, vitamins, etc. are expensive. I think the issue in the west stems from regulations that make it difficult for new players to penetrate the market, even for generics. Running a cartel becomes easier that way. Compare [1] and [2]. [1] http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tylenol/ID=957-brand http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tylenol/ID=957-brand [2] http://www.medindia.net/drug-price/acetaminophen/crocin-500mg.htm http://www.medindia.net/drug-price/acetaminophen/crocin-500m...
tn13 12y ago
Yes. Doctors are next to God in India. A doctor in village will have invitation to every marriage and major ceremony. Cops wont give ticket the doctor they know and politicians will fear laying their figure on the doctor in the village. Being polytheists Indians have a God of medicine too. He is called "Dhanvantari" a man with a pot of potion of immortality. I have seen his life size statue in many private Hospitals.
redraga 12y ago
The sentiment that teaching and medical practice are noble professions is widespread in India. Both these professions command a lot of respect in society.
- drivingmenuts 12y ago
  Maybe I should retire there and teach. If the pay is at least enough to be comfortable, I can make up the rest in respect.
kamaal 12y ago
Nice to hear that you had a good experience here in India. But don't get too excited yet. Medical industry is only lucrative to foreigners coming to India because of the foreign exchange factor. Otherwise its the same this there too. Not the kind of Insurance company mess I hear happening in the US through folks on this forum, but there similar things here too. To start with most doctors will write down a series of tests even if they are dead sure of what the problem is. These even include stuff like viral fever, common cold. People fall for it because dengue and typhoid has been always been for a while here. We have a famous test called 'basin test'- basically it means collecting the patients blood and draining it in the basin, because every one is so sure that the patient has no issues there is hardly any point wasting time and resources testing. Doctors purposefully prolonging treatments to keep the consultation fees coming is pretty common. Most physicians close to your home, where you would generally go have a deal with a the nearest pharmacy for commissions in exchange for writing down drugs which are only available in the pharmacy. Same works for writing down tests. Although these days 'polyclinics' are getting pretty common, the doctor will generally have a small test lab at the clinic and will to makes some money through that too. I even know doctors who run diabetic camps, thyroid camps and obesity camps and what not just to get patients to clinics because drug companies want some free marketing and trap more patients to believe they have some disease which they don't. Medical education is expensive in India. Sure you will get respect but even for an ordinary Indian, overall tuition and capitation fees means the only way for them to recover their investment is through either cheating or dowry. The bigger problems like are a little different, but even there mishandling of cases and purpose full wrong treatment to pump up the hospital bills is pretty common. Its the same everywhere. Its about greed, people in US and India are no different. Greed works the same way in US the way it works in India.

pkaye 12y ago

It is also because being a doctor is considered high status in India. Higher than lawyers, businessmen, engineers. Also they also command a high income. So what you did of offering a tip is more of an insult.

habith 12y ago
S/he tried to tip the nurse.
kamaal 12y ago
>>Higher than lawyers, businessmen, engineers. This was true at one point in time. May be around 2 decades back. But engineering has gotten very lucrative due to the IT boom, overall growth in economy and general demand for engineers in a high growth environment. Also engineering has a lower barrier to entry and pays better than what many physicians make these days. To make anything decent as a doctor you have to do your MD, which is expensive both in terms of investment of time and money. And even after that, the job at the hospital won't pay you anything close to what your average engineer at a MNC would get paid. And then don't forget the fact that many engineers can make money through side projects, freelancing and take adhoc risks like doing start ups which isn't even an option to most doctors.

praneshp 12y ago

I am from India, and this is definitely something that happens very often. Doctors are very high in the respect scale. Pinch of salt, don't be fooled into thinking there are no doctors out to make money, etc. A 5000 Rupee tip is humongous. It's probably what she makes every month. If you had offered Rs 500 instead, she'd have likely taken it happily.

yitchelle 12y ago
5000 Rupee (or 63EUR) per month for nurse? If this is close to true, I really feel for them. They work just as hard as the doctors, some even more so.
- happyscrappy 12y ago
  How do you think prices can be so low, besides not paying for R+D?
  - praneshp 12y ago
    American prices are not high because they pay for R+D. For the medicines, maybe. I'm epileptic, and the equipment that was used for my treatment in India was consistently better than the one my neurologist used for examination when I moved here. Essential drugs are cheap because of not paying for R+D, plus government subsidies.
    - lake99 12y ago
      > Essential drugs are cheap because of not paying for R+D Not sure I'd agree there. In the west, even mundane drugs that don't need all that R&D, like common painkillers, antibiotics, vitamins, etc. are expensive. I think the issue in the west stems from regulations that make it difficult for new players to penetrate the market, even for generics. Running a cartel becomes easier that way. Compare [1] and [2]. [1] http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tylenol/ID=957-brand http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tylenol/ID=957-brand [2] http://www.medindia.net/drug-price/acetaminophen/crocin-500mg.htm http://www.medindia.net/drug-price/acetaminophen/crocin-500m...

tn13 12y ago

Yes. Doctors are next to God in India. A doctor in village will have invitation to every marriage and major ceremony. Cops wont give ticket the doctor they know and politicians will fear laying their figure on the doctor in the village. Being polytheists Indians have a God of medicine too. He is called "Dhanvantari" a man with a pot of potion of immortality. I have seen his life size statue in many private Hospitals.

redraga 12y ago

The sentiment that teaching and medical practice are noble professions is widespread in India. Both these professions command a lot of respect in society.

drivingmenuts 12y ago
Maybe I should retire there and teach. If the pay is at least enough to be comfortable, I can make up the rest in respect.

kamaal 12y ago

Nice to hear that you had a good experience here in India. But don't get too excited yet. Medical industry is only lucrative to foreigners coming to India because of the foreign exchange factor. Otherwise its the same this there too. Not the kind of Insurance company mess I hear happening in the US through folks on this forum, but there similar things here too. To start with most doctors will write down a series of tests even if they are dead sure of what the problem is. These even include stuff like viral fever, common cold. People fall for it because dengue and typhoid has been always been for a while here. We have a famous test called 'basin test'- basically it means collecting the patients blood and draining it in the basin, because every one is so sure that the patient has no issues there is hardly any point wasting time and resources testing. Doctors purposefully prolonging treatments to keep the consultation fees coming is pretty common. Most physicians close to your home, where you would generally go have a deal with a the nearest pharmacy for commissions in exchange for writing down drugs which are only available in the pharmacy. Same works for writing down tests. Although these days 'polyclinics' are getting pretty common, the doctor will generally have a small test lab at the clinic and will to makes some money through that too. I even know doctors who run diabetic camps, thyroid camps and obesity camps and what not just to get patients to clinics because drug companies want some free marketing and trap more patients to believe they have some disease which they don't. Medical education is expensive in India. Sure you will get respect but even for an ordinary Indian, overall tuition and capitation fees means the only way for them to recover their investment is through either cheating or dowry. The bigger problems like are a little different, but even there mishandling of cases and purpose full wrong treatment to pump up the hospital bills is pretty common. Its the same everywhere. Its about greed, people in US and India are no different. Greed works the same way in US the way it works in India.