Manipur is now making a case for being a medical tourism destination to its neighboring states and even Myanmar. The wealth of expertise of the doctors is not be doubted and it is on the basis of their experience and acumen that there are cases where patients from other neighboring states do get in to the state to seek treatment here or where doctors fly out to serve on private consultation is private health care settings. But is the state a role model in terms of health care? That is the one question that needs a deeper analysis. There are new entries in the private health sector that have up-scaled the level of infrastructure and increased more institutional health care. The growing number of private hospitals and diagnostic and the number of footfall in such institutions is an indicator that just as the number of health care delivery systems are growing, so too are the health related needs of the general population. But the entry of private players in the health sector even as it has ushered in better standards of care has also meant that a majority of these doctors have unethically devoted their time and attention while also enjoying the perks of a government job. In fact, it is increasingly common to have doctors asking patients seeking treatment in Government hospitals to come for the check ups in their own homes where they practice on a private basis or to come in to private hospitals where they get a second salary. And even as doctors employed by the Government carry a double life in private health care set ups, the Government hospitals do not give confidence to people coming to seek either information, medical diagnosis or treatment. To begin with, the state of hospital infrastructure is a dead give-away: crumbling walls washed with spit and tobacco juice is not going to help when it comes to making a first good impression. Apart from the state of buildings, a common man stepping into such a spectacle is almost always left at a loss trying to make sense of where he/she has to go and whom he/she has to meet. As with most Government employees who have the false impression that they are answerable to their concerned seniors or VIPS, the attitude of service providers at Government hospitals in the state are indifferent at most and rude for the rest of the time.
Compare this to the private health sector in the state where there are information counters and easy lay out guides informing where one can and must go. The difference of course is that private health sector looks at good public relations and customer satisfaction and loyalty. They know that the customer, who in this case is a likely patient has to go back satisfied for that will bring in word of mouth publicity and a huge chance of repeat walk ins. In the Government health sector, employees know their salary is assured at the end of the month even if their performance is shoddy and their attitude towards patients unhelpful. Unfortunately enough, the common man is most often, not in a position to seek services or treatment for their health related issues in private health care settings due to steep pricing. This is where the alarm bells go off every time there is talk of a PPP model in certain health care sector units of the state. There is fear and rightly so, that while private players will end up getting more subsidies from the Government in terms of land acquisition or terms of leash or rent, in terms of acquiring other infrastructure etc under a PPP model, they may end up making health unaffordable for the common man. But if the terms of the PPP model in the upcoming health sector units of the state are legally bound to make the cost of treatment and diagnosis in these institutes stay the same as Government health care units, there will be a strong public rally behind the move. Right now, a lot more needs to be done for the people of the state first before hawking the state’s health services before others. The citizens of the state must be first in line and only when they are satisfied with the quality, nature and treatment that is offered to them at rates that do not pinch their pockets can the state’s health sector really be used as a model for bringing in other people to the fold.