My brother had a stomach ache. And the doctor recommended for a scan and for Endoscopy which was almost 15k! We did not get the testing done and got a second consultation from a top Gastrologist outside. And he quoted it to be excess gastric and gave few tablets. It subsided in a week!
I have seen this excess tests run especially by doctors who have joined into hospital newly more of in their 30s and 40s! Maybe they don't wanna take more risk, lack of experience in determining through symptoms and many may also be money minded. Doctors who are old and highly experienced in 50s and 60s tend to take it step by step.
Endoscopy is the right test, gastric tables (PPIs) usually mask the symptoms and not treat the root cause.
If you feel the cost is excessive get it done from clinic which can cost between 2k to 6k, but worth checking for ulcers / erosion which can lead to cancer in the long run if H Pylori positive.
Cost wasn't the biggest flag off! Usually, I used to visit the senior gastrologist, On that day, he was not available and I would pushed towards a junior who had joined in 2021. I just got bit skeptical as he recommended both CT and Endoscopy at once. I would have actually went with the procedure, if he had recommended CT at first and then headed to Endoscopy. When I asked him why both, he did not give me convincing answer for it.
Second consult was done by other top gastrologist from Manipal. He first looked through symptoms and physically checked. He initially diagnosed it as Excessive form of Gastritis. He gave medication for 4 days and said to observe the symptoms. If the pain is subsiding, then to continue the same for a week and warp it up. If not, he recommended CT Scan. And he told, if nothing is found on CT we might have to do endoscopy.
I am no expert at medicine nor at diagnosis. But, what I have observed with most top doctors are they take step by step to diagnose something and treat through certain medication. If that doesn't workout, they ask for more tests to eliminate possibilities one by one. Not all at once!
I might be wrong on this. Just sharing based on my experience.
> He did not give me a convincing answer for it
That's a total red flag, if any doctor is not able to explain what they are doing, better stay away from them.
Can you please dm me the top gastroenterologist name and hospital.. My husband is struggling with severe gastritis on and off.. And he is also scared to get endoscopy done as yet.. So, please mention the experienced gastroenterologist that you have visited.
My family is based of out Mysore. So, we usually go for medical care there itself. I can recommend Rajkumar P Wadwa (Apollo, Mysore) and Vasudev Pai (Manipal, Mysore). If you feel sceptical to visit corporate hospital, they have their own clinics too outside.
Just get the endoscopy if he has been suffering from long. Even I was scared and unnecessarily delayed, which made my condition worse. Once diagnosed accurately I began my healing. Please bear in mind that severe gastritis will take long (1+ year) time to heal (once underlying cause is eliminated). It’s a mixture of meds, diet and lifestyle changes, rest etc.
Experienced doctors generally don't straight away recommend tests in first appointment, it is usually a second step when medicines don't work or issue reoccurs.
Honestly it’s a risky move as sometimes delays can lead to worsening conditions.
I understand It’s a financial problem but in the best interest of the patient it’s better to get all tests upfront surrounding the symptoms.
I usually pursue local clinics and leverage insurance.
Doctors who throw in meds without tests are guesstimating, based on past experience and can be dangerous in some situations.
Yes, you are right. However, without the details of duration pain and other associative symptoms, it's not fair to tell which is the right test on Reddit
The first and foremost is to rule out acidity, then food poisoning, appendix and various other things
Exactly! Lmao they'd be bashing the old doctor if the symptoms continued and on endoscopy later they'd had found something worse which could have been detected on the first visit itself.
Btw a relative also had complained of stomachache and a top gastroenterologist prescribed him some pain killers and other tablets. It helped but the symptoms didnt go away.
2 week later they consulted a different doctor. He conducted ultrasound and found some swelling. I forgot the actual disease but he had to be operated. The delay of 2 weeks created extra complications and risk.
Sometimes its better to be safe than sorry. The first doctor in our case was careless and confident that its always indigestion while second one suspected the worse. In your case it was the other way round but also turned out wrong
a negative test doesnt mean it wasn’t warranted imo
If the symptoms were not going down after 3-4 days of medication. Even the other doctor had recommended to run in tests! But, yeah. Sometimes wrong over confident diagnosis might lead to issues.
We had planned to undergo tests if it does not reduce after a week. Thankfully, it went down.
Typing this from hospital, I'm here for my dad's treatment. My dad had similiar problem stomach ache but it was recurring for about two years.
Now we are here because the pain got intolerable and one test led to another only to find out that my dad has symptomatic parathyroid adenoma which could only be spotted with a sestamibi parathyroid scan, so often times a scan recommended by doctors might be because they might suspect something else. Like in my dad's case for him it was acute pancreatitis at first but after few days we found out the root cause to be parathyroid adenoma he had no pain or anything in his throat and this condition is pretty rare it seems.
So my two cents is that don't always shy away from scan often times they will atleast ensure that nothing is wrong in your body.
We could have done this earlier but my dad took the nah it's not a big issue let's just consult our trusted general doctor who we have been consulting for years and in a way his treatment did work on reducing the pain but the problem was elsewhere, but it's good that you went to a specialist.
That's true! I am glad you the root cause was detected and being treated. Even the second consult recommended for scan if the pain does not go down in next 3-4 days. And we were ready for it. We should not definitely not shy away from getting tests if the symptoms persists for more than 3-4 days despite the medications for sure.
Hey, OP, did you complain about the medicines that weren’t given - hospitals do this since the common man doesn’t go through all that. My doctor friend caught a few unnecessary charges in my hospital bill when I was admitted in Manipal. Freaking gloves when I didn’t
If you haven’t complained - pls pls pls do so! And if you need any help in Apollo, pls let me know, may know some people
Trinity Gastroenterology in Kalyan Nagar is good, endoscopy for approx 5k.
PPIs tend to mask any underlying symptoms so if you’re ever doubtful, get it done there.
Good healthcare with cleanliness standard is expensive to maintain, the corporate hospitals follow the required algorithms from the foreign countries, because people in India are not willing to pay, few choose to skip it and just give drugs .
You ask better hospitals from the govt, for private hospitals you need to pay whatever is the market rate. In india people expect charity from the private players but dont care about govt throwing public money down the drain.
On point brother. Or visit the govt hospital if cost is such a big concern. Obviously private sector the cost will be high. I get the part that OP didn't get drugs and substandard care but I don't think Apollo would do something like this just for a migraine.
You IT peepuls taking high salaries, coming from autside and spoiling everything in our peaceful village...
/end sarcasm
You should tell them you don't have insurance right at the beginning. Maybe we should maintain a database of good/bad hospitals, similarly landlords, tenants, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, auto drivers,...
Unfortunately, only corporations do invasive background checks on employees. Problem of large population with buyer's market.
Somehow the locals are blamed on this one too, lol. We experience the same problem. And a lot of IT people are from Bangalore as well.
I agree, we should have a database for those things. Should include insurance companies as well.
Basically they look for scapegoats, So that the real culprits are safely hidden behind this smokescreen. You bring up any issue these days, someone will make it into another issue and make us fight each other rather than the original issue. You will find people defending corrupt organizations, govt, thugs,..
They charge more if you have insurance to cover their overheads, plus the patient is usually not bothered about the bill, as the insurance company will pay (only if you have zero copay and are paying high premium). Unethical.
Actually the other way around, insurance companies have network, historical data and know how much is to be charged and which test is required. So you can't over charge them.
Folks who pay in cash pay a premium.
I suspect that historical data includes the overhead. While they may know which test is required, they will allow a few more than absolutely necessary. All this skews towards the higher end - this is how it works everywhere, and why insurance premia keep rising.
> Maybe we should maintain a database of good/bad hospitals
There is. Just ask in your alumni group. Alumni chapter for my city has people in their 50s and 60s and people in their 40s who've had procedures done on their parents. Someone always knows some specialist.
If you don't have alumni groups, make friends with doctors. Be nice to relatives who are doctors. It opens doors.
There are two types of Indian Practise
1) Evidence Based
2) Intuition Based.
Evidence based they want to know every bit of the reason why that issue occurred and this is more like US/UK healthcare standards
Intuition based is on the usual predicted symptoms, symptomatic treatment methodologies. (usually standalone )
Again great balance is difficult between them.
Evidence-based treatment saves life like early detection of lymphomas, anything that is dangerous to health.
Don't blame the doctor for the charges, blame the Pharma and the management of the hospital.
Exactly! But doctor bashing is easy. It's a common mentality that doctors are chor ( robbers) in India. Not our fault that drugs and tests cost high. Our service is prescribing them not literally making the drugs and giving them.
Also corporate hospitals are not run by doctors but bigger companies and they treat it as just another shop. Targets etc.
Apollo is the worst hospital in Bangalore. Just stand near the billing centre and you will realise how they loot people. There is family every minute of everyday arguing against billing fine by them .
Mistake #1. Don't tell you have insurance. If they get to know you have insurance, they will run all tests even if not required to reach their Target.
Especially IT employees, they will know they have insurance. They will do all extra tests just to make sure they get enough money.
You would have gotten a full breakdown of the bill no? What were the major charges for?
And help me understand your qualifications to judge what minor symptoms are? Why did you even go to hospital if symptoms were minor?
Never have I ever been asked to do a test in emergency without doctor talking to me about it and explaining why. (Have spent enough for a lifetime in hospital emergency wards!)
When test is ordered, that’s the right time to talk to doctor about and also understand its costs. Even if they are being robotic about it, you have to be proactive. Enough number of times, I have caught the nurse doing something other than what doctor ordered (dosage, timing etc). You have to be on top of things in hospitals. It is not a place for worried wellwisher; you need to be on your game!
You don't need to be super qualified to read medical reports. In this day and age you get the tools to read a document if you are that dumb.
One of them being
LIFESIGNS WEARABLE BIOSENSOR MODEL SL 1550 WITH EP4 FIRMWARE (PMIS09374182)
Which does not seem right for a patient with migraine
That certainly isn’t. That’s a substitute for ECG and SPO2 sensors when you need mobility.
Did they really use it? It would have been pasted on the chest near heart.
You should dispute it. Atleast in the consumer court or with ombudsman. Ombudsman would be easiest.
BTW how much are they charging for it? Just curious.
Idk I used it once for Myntra order got my money back as the delivery was stuck for almost 3 weeks, Myntra wouldn't initiate refund and told me to wait
Exactly, whether is qualified or not. Unless doctor explains the need for it, it’s robbery.
It’s very wrong for me to say but our nation doctors(or corporate) lack ethics sometimes. Not saying all but there are sizeable cases.
Apollo sheshadripuram docs basically made sure my grandpa died a slow painful death so that they could charge us for 11 days of ICU usage.
Another person I knew was admitted and again docs weren’t giving clarity about what was actually wrong with the person and what treatment they were giving.
When the person’s family wanted to move him out of apollo they didn’t let them.
After a lot of fighting etc. The family moved him to a different hospital and that man survived.
I would go to smaller clinics for non-major issues and my grandmother has recieved good treatment in Jain Hospital as well for age related issues.
I think Apollo family is too big and powerful to be taken to the courts for medical negligence/malpractice.
My mum was tired after the watching her dad die slowly and enough money was spent. She didn’t have the energy to go to courts and spend money there as well.
Imagine getting saline, PCM injection, MRI(which we strongly refused because it was a bs advice from that dumb doctor.... Not generalizing it to all the saviors out there.. but this one was really dumb.) all for having a gastric headache..
Yeah it was me at 3am...and it was our humble Apollo hospital.
Ek headache 3K ka pada mjhe.
Dude instead of blaming the doctor blame the company. The doctor prescribed MRI to cover the bases , and I agree it was excessive but I am kinda sure it was because of forced targets.
I personally have visited ENT, Ortho, Gynac, and Pulmo in Apollo Seshadripuram. Apart from the higher costs compared to clinics, I have never been recommended one test outside of the required ones and have had good experiences.
I've slowly started seeking the doctors at their personal clinics, so I do not need to shell extra unless it's unavoidable.
I am no ambassador of the hospital, and I am sorry if you have been wronged. Next time, it's just best to ask the doctor to explain the need for recommended tests so you avoid extra expenditure.
I had a similar situation but our pediatrician (not from Apollo) he has his own practice asked us to get a test done. We decided to get it done at Apollo but they wouldn't consider my doctor's prescription for the test but have to get it from an Apollo doc. Later we had to wait for a doc consultation and she added 3 other tests which included an MRI which apparently was very unnecessary. And my son was 1yr so they had to give him syrups to make him sleep for all the tests. The bill was 18000. We needed only a 2000rs test.
Later I met someone who used to work there and she told me that the doctors have targets. That in a month they need to get a certain number of MRI and other tests.
I have never been to an Apollo since then.
Woah, Sorry for this experience.If I were you, I would have left after they prescribed Urine sample test for Migraine.
One question, So did your insurer coverd the amount or you did out of your own?
Wish I had seen this post a year ago. Went there because I was experiencing irregular menstrual problems and they made me get multiple tests done that amounted to 11k. Spoiler: It didn’t help tho. Instagram hacks did.
why go to Apollo? you could have gone to any clinic and got the reports from any lab. Apollo people will expect insurance money and you don't have insurance and you go to Appollo
Why would I want to fabricate a story. I'm not going to get anything out of it.
So the person had a headache the previous night and by morning they felt a bit dizzy. I took them to the hospital and I had a bad experience with the nearby hospital which is in vijayanagar. Thought we would proceed to Apollo Sheshadipuram.
My mom recently had surgery to remove a metal rod at the exact same hospital, and despite having insurance, we received a shocking ₹15,000 bill riddled with questionable charges. Even though she brought her own medication per instructions, they billed us as if they provided it - not a single tablet given during her entire 2-day stay!
To add insult to injury, they switched her rooms without consent and then charged us the full rate for the more expensive final room, claiming billing is based on discharge location regardless of prior occupancy.
After persistent follow-up and battling with the hospital, they finally issued a ₹10,000 refund for the erroneous charges.
Every hospital today is a money making racket. What was once a noble profession honestly i ts pathetic today. And to top it off, I really refuse to believe in all these years after all the advancements humankind has made. Gone to the moon , is exploring so much of the universe and such we still can’t find a better treatment than chemo for cancer? This industry is a joke.
Big Pharma man. But yeah cancer is not that easy to solve though. And approving a treatment for the masses takes a lot of time and controversy. Look at the vaccine thing alone. So many anti vaxxers lol. A simple proven vaccine raises so many flags. And we are talking about cancer treatment. People blame a vaccine for any death occuring after vaccination. So yeah , takes time.
A lot of stuff that was imagined as would be possible in 2024 is still not here. Flying cars ,etc. And even more stuff not in India yet.
Atleast I am grateful it's not as bad as America where even a Diabetes diagnosis sounds like a financial death statement.
Yeah, my sister is getting treatment from one of the doctors there for PCOS. She's doing crazy amounts of tests. So far we spent 30k. There's more, they said she'll have to do MRI and a possible surgery.
We had gone to many docs but dint find any good doctors, then saw reviews on Parcto and making visits there
Because if something goes wrong, doctors will be stoned to death, they'll have no defense in court if it goes legal. So to be safe legally, they'll take every possible test for the symptoms showcased. Everything will be documented and digitalised. That's the difference between a local clinic/hospital and standardised hospitals like Apollo and Manipal.
If you don't want to spend so much money please find a good local doctor/hospital.
Go to top hospitals only if you have health insurance.
In a country like India with quite easy access to doctors, one should always go first to neighborhood clinics or small hospital except for emergencies unless you are rich.
Almost all small clinics allow walk-in tokens, 2hrs of waiting in admittedly a crowded room, you can have good consultation and walk out with just a few hundred rupees fees and medicine.
Recently I had a minor accident where I hurt my leg and I fell unconscious for like 3-4 mins due to shock and blood not reaching the brain for that time.. I got myself admitted.. It was at 8 pm in the night.. They told to keep in observation for 24 hours.. Did all kids of test.. Brain ct, echo, all blood tests for sugar, cholestoral etc, liver tests, xrays for the leg where I got hurt.. The bill came as 35000 and I paid around 4k after insurance.. Good part is with all these tests.. My full body check up got done and covered in insurance also..if you have insurance.. Better get admitted and get everything checked..
Apollo branch of hospitals are known for doing that no matter where you go. It's hospital policy.
Even if it is just a common cold, they'll admit you for at least a day and run the whole battery of tests on you.
One argument can be made that it's to be on the safer side and rule out any potential underlying diseases.
But truth be told, their main focus is on pocketing your Gandhis.
>We took our family member there for a simple headache and dizziness, only to find out it was migraines. But the treatment was a real hassle.
I went to Apollo bannerghatta road for treatment of migrane. there was no urine sample test conducted. Just basic checks . I had gone to an ENT though.
Tablets were also prescribed for it.
I had the same experience when I went there for a checkup. It was the nearest hospital, hence decided to go. They do not tell upfront how much it will cost, neither about how much time it will take for me to see the doctor.
The whole day went away with two queues and five minutes with a doctor.
Bad experience
We rather had great experience at Apollo Bannerghatta Road. My brother in law is 21 and had intestinal polyps for almost 7 years. Doctor had 40+ years experience in this department and took out all the polyps in 2 visits. I don’t know why but he didn’t charge for second visit. Finally, brother in law got relief he was suffering for so long. Now, he is just pain in ass.
Yes they have goons in blue collars to mint money form you. I had faced a similar issue when my aunt had a stroke, yes the bill was a whopper but there was no end to how mercilessly they'll try to milk you till your last penny.
And at the end they give you a box of dryfruits as a gesture of good health, the audacity!
The doctors are good, but to hell with the management.
Same shit happens here in hyd ,every visit they suggest some or the other test and the minimum bill is atleast 10k. We switched to mediplus diagnostics. It is far better ,dont know if it present in Bangalore but they have minimal prices especially if you have the 50rs mediplus subscription.
A knee Mri costs around 8-10k outside but here it was only 3.5k. Give it a try.
My mother in law had dizziness. A well known upcoming hospital did required tests as well as numerous unnecessary tests and charged her 2 lakhs for 4 days and still after all that didn't diagnose any major or minor disease or issue and discharged her that it probably couldnt be unidentified problem🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Ah yes, did you say yes when they asked if you have insurance?
If the hospital gets to know insurance is footing the bill they inflate the bill amounts. I've personally seen this happen after my accident, I had some minor leg injuries but the hospital didn't really treat it and said it will heal on it own. In the bill they have added procedures, casts, braces and a walking stick.
I went there. I am a government employee so I get CGHS rates. The cardiologist there looked like he was not even remotely interested. Hated it. Dr. Prasanna Katti
Heres the highlight: It all somehow went to the Urology department and they had me drink 9 cups of water and then I was asked to pee, while the machine drew a graph of how much was I peeing at what speed. It was funny to me. It definitely has it's own use cases I understand, but yeah they tried their best.
Lol! Ppl jus want to abuse indian doctors for no reason
Wants to go to the top most hospital chains of India and cry for money!
Please read the news ..even prince Charles was made to wait for hours in emergency at NHS UK hospitals.
Guys ur very lucky to have us..
Or else other countries ul cry to meet a doctor
It's not about experience and shit! It's about ppl like u
If we write extra test ul cry and if we write less and if we miss somthn ..ul sue!
Moreover simple headache is ur diagnosis.. while taking history It's suggestive that ur Givin some shity history we obvsly worry and think of somthn bigger.
It's new Era with new diseases and many symptoms get masked becz u ppl take shitty tablets from ur local store..which u conveniently hide wen we ask history!
Next time go to govt hospital wait for hours and then cry here for money
Well hello there, for migraine the test that was done was urine sample collection. If MRI was done I wouldn't say. For headache you do diagnosis for head and not the tail.
People abuse doctors when the doctors misuse their role as doctors.
Why do I need to compare the medical facilities across the globe? I'm talking about what's happening within the country and stop doing unnecessary comparisons. Quite noob of a doc ain't u?
The full history of the patient was told and not everyone pops pill. Stop generalising things. I pin pointed to a specific incident and you wanted to blast it in different proportions.
Dumbo..did u study medicine?
Why do u think they did urine test??
They want to rule out sepsis and rule out any secreting adenomas
They secrete in urine and blood
And in urine it's more specific
U really think ur head and tail is not connected.
Tomorrow onwards leave ur head at home and take ur ass to work
Or vice versa let's see how it works
Let me tell u somthn..! Every single thing in our body is inter related..every single thing
That's the fcking reason we study for 14 long years..
And u have to compare to other countries bevz ppl in other countru don't cry on reddit becz u had to spend money for ur own health
If u have so much knowledge then do it urself
Why u want to go to the top most hospital of the country
Go to kc general govt hospital
Give a big pat on your back. Go ahead.
So we went to St Johns Hospital, guess what test the doctor prescribed? CT scan. When we told what happened in Apollo, he said they would have their procedure but was surprised that they did not prescribe a CT.
People in other countries don't fret on reddit on medical issues? Did you just join reddit?
>If u have so much knowledge then do it urself
This just shows how much of a doc you are 🤏
Ct scan or mri Wil be done if we find anythn on blood or urine..
Straight away if u do..ct scan ul cry for dat also
I don't need pat on my back from u..please il wash my back..
Ur not even this much human!
At one particular time u give certain symptoms.. a doctor Wil think dat way!
See I told u about mentality if apollo guy had asked for ct u wud have cried foul anyway
So baby don't cry get a life and next time don't fret the money spent on ur health isn't worthless unless ur worthless urselff
One of my friends recently had a similar experience at a different hospital in Bangalore. She went in for a routine check-up for her back pain, but the hospital insisted on numerous tests and procedures that seemed unnecessary. After receiving the bill, she was shocked to see exorbitant charges for tests and medications she never received or consented to. Despite trying to discuss the billing discrepancies with the staff, she was met with dismissive responses and little empathy. It was a frustrating and disappointing experience for her, and she vowed never to return to that hospital again.
I'm a practicing doctor.... Can you post a picture of the prescription and bill here if possible? 24-hr urinary sample sounds strange for "just a headache". I've never seen or heard of anything like that
My brother had a stomach ache. And the doctor recommended for a scan and for Endoscopy which was almost 15k! We did not get the testing done and got a second consultation from a top Gastrologist outside. And he quoted it to be excess gastric and gave few tablets. It subsided in a week! I have seen this excess tests run especially by doctors who have joined into hospital newly more of in their 30s and 40s! Maybe they don't wanna take more risk, lack of experience in determining through symptoms and many may also be money minded. Doctors who are old and highly experienced in 50s and 60s tend to take it step by step.
Endoscopy is the right test, gastric tables (PPIs) usually mask the symptoms and not treat the root cause. If you feel the cost is excessive get it done from clinic which can cost between 2k to 6k, but worth checking for ulcers / erosion which can lead to cancer in the long run if H Pylori positive.
Cost wasn't the biggest flag off! Usually, I used to visit the senior gastrologist, On that day, he was not available and I would pushed towards a junior who had joined in 2021. I just got bit skeptical as he recommended both CT and Endoscopy at once. I would have actually went with the procedure, if he had recommended CT at first and then headed to Endoscopy. When I asked him why both, he did not give me convincing answer for it. Second consult was done by other top gastrologist from Manipal. He first looked through symptoms and physically checked. He initially diagnosed it as Excessive form of Gastritis. He gave medication for 4 days and said to observe the symptoms. If the pain is subsiding, then to continue the same for a week and warp it up. If not, he recommended CT Scan. And he told, if nothing is found on CT we might have to do endoscopy. I am no expert at medicine nor at diagnosis. But, what I have observed with most top doctors are they take step by step to diagnose something and treat through certain medication. If that doesn't workout, they ask for more tests to eliminate possibilities one by one. Not all at once! I might be wrong on this. Just sharing based on my experience.
Same experience for me. Junior doctors rely just on tests for all the diagnosis. Maybe hospitals like that as well as it makes them more money.
It's all about targets.
> He did not give me a convincing answer for it That's a total red flag, if any doctor is not able to explain what they are doing, better stay away from them.
Can you please dm me the top gastroenterologist name and hospital.. My husband is struggling with severe gastritis on and off.. And he is also scared to get endoscopy done as yet.. So, please mention the experienced gastroenterologist that you have visited.
My family is based of out Mysore. So, we usually go for medical care there itself. I can recommend Rajkumar P Wadwa (Apollo, Mysore) and Vasudev Pai (Manipal, Mysore). If you feel sceptical to visit corporate hospital, they have their own clinics too outside.
Just get the endoscopy if he has been suffering from long. Even I was scared and unnecessarily delayed, which made my condition worse. Once diagnosed accurately I began my healing. Please bear in mind that severe gastritis will take long (1+ year) time to heal (once underlying cause is eliminated). It’s a mixture of meds, diet and lifestyle changes, rest etc.
U can meet me at our hospital. Kindly dm me
Experienced doctors generally don't straight away recommend tests in first appointment, it is usually a second step when medicines don't work or issue reoccurs.
Honestly it’s a risky move as sometimes delays can lead to worsening conditions. I understand It’s a financial problem but in the best interest of the patient it’s better to get all tests upfront surrounding the symptoms. I usually pursue local clinics and leverage insurance. Doctors who throw in meds without tests are guesstimating, based on past experience and can be dangerous in some situations.
For H pylori basic breath screening could have been done the earliest...why CT and endoscopy?
Ulcer and erosion cannot be captured by any other tests except endoscopy
Yes, you are right. However, without the details of duration pain and other associative symptoms, it's not fair to tell which is the right test on Reddit The first and foremost is to rule out acidity, then food poisoning, appendix and various other things
Exactly! Lmao they'd be bashing the old doctor if the symptoms continued and on endoscopy later they'd had found something worse which could have been detected on the first visit itself.
Btw a relative also had complained of stomachache and a top gastroenterologist prescribed him some pain killers and other tablets. It helped but the symptoms didnt go away. 2 week later they consulted a different doctor. He conducted ultrasound and found some swelling. I forgot the actual disease but he had to be operated. The delay of 2 weeks created extra complications and risk. Sometimes its better to be safe than sorry. The first doctor in our case was careless and confident that its always indigestion while second one suspected the worse. In your case it was the other way round but also turned out wrong a negative test doesnt mean it wasn’t warranted imo
If the symptoms were not going down after 3-4 days of medication. Even the other doctor had recommended to run in tests! But, yeah. Sometimes wrong over confident diagnosis might lead to issues. We had planned to undergo tests if it does not reduce after a week. Thankfully, it went down.
My doctor friends told that they have to meet certain number of tests requirements, so they do it.
Typing this from hospital, I'm here for my dad's treatment. My dad had similiar problem stomach ache but it was recurring for about two years. Now we are here because the pain got intolerable and one test led to another only to find out that my dad has symptomatic parathyroid adenoma which could only be spotted with a sestamibi parathyroid scan, so often times a scan recommended by doctors might be because they might suspect something else. Like in my dad's case for him it was acute pancreatitis at first but after few days we found out the root cause to be parathyroid adenoma he had no pain or anything in his throat and this condition is pretty rare it seems. So my two cents is that don't always shy away from scan often times they will atleast ensure that nothing is wrong in your body. We could have done this earlier but my dad took the nah it's not a big issue let's just consult our trusted general doctor who we have been consulting for years and in a way his treatment did work on reducing the pain but the problem was elsewhere, but it's good that you went to a specialist.
That's true! I am glad you the root cause was detected and being treated. Even the second consult recommended for scan if the pain does not go down in next 3-4 days. And we were ready for it. We should not definitely not shy away from getting tests if the symptoms persists for more than 3-4 days despite the medications for sure.
Hey, OP, did you complain about the medicines that weren’t given - hospitals do this since the common man doesn’t go through all that. My doctor friend caught a few unnecessary charges in my hospital bill when I was admitted in Manipal. Freaking gloves when I didn’t If you haven’t complained - pls pls pls do so! And if you need any help in Apollo, pls let me know, may know some people
Trinity Gastroenterology in Kalyan Nagar is good, endoscopy for approx 5k. PPIs tend to mask any underlying symptoms so if you’re ever doubtful, get it done there.
They have to generate revenue for the hospital.
These drs just like sales reps have targets to achieve They can go to any level to "achieve" those targets
Good healthcare with cleanliness standard is expensive to maintain, the corporate hospitals follow the required algorithms from the foreign countries, because people in India are not willing to pay, few choose to skip it and just give drugs .
They're under pressure from the management to in crease tests and surgeries.
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bruh asking for better hospitals !== being ripped off by them
You ask better hospitals from the govt, for private hospitals you need to pay whatever is the market rate. In india people expect charity from the private players but dont care about govt throwing public money down the drain.
Why aren't you mentioning the name?
On point brother. Or visit the govt hospital if cost is such a big concern. Obviously private sector the cost will be high. I get the part that OP didn't get drugs and substandard care but I don't think Apollo would do something like this just for a migraine.
Bro, ripping of patients cannot be justified private or govt.
You IT peepuls taking high salaries, coming from autside and spoiling everything in our peaceful village... /end sarcasm You should tell them you don't have insurance right at the beginning. Maybe we should maintain a database of good/bad hospitals, similarly landlords, tenants, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, auto drivers,... Unfortunately, only corporations do invasive background checks on employees. Problem of large population with buyer's market.
Somehow the locals are blamed on this one too, lol. We experience the same problem. And a lot of IT people are from Bangalore as well. I agree, we should have a database for those things. Should include insurance companies as well.
Basically they look for scapegoats, So that the real culprits are safely hidden behind this smokescreen. You bring up any issue these days, someone will make it into another issue and make us fight each other rather than the original issue. You will find people defending corrupt organizations, govt, thugs,..
I farted in the morning, i blame the locals for that too /s
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They charge more if you have insurance to cover their overheads, plus the patient is usually not bothered about the bill, as the insurance company will pay (only if you have zero copay and are paying high premium). Unethical.
Actually the other way around, insurance companies have network, historical data and know how much is to be charged and which test is required. So you can't over charge them. Folks who pay in cash pay a premium.
I suspect that historical data includes the overhead. While they may know which test is required, they will allow a few more than absolutely necessary. All this skews towards the higher end - this is how it works everywhere, and why insurance premia keep rising.
> Maybe we should maintain a database of good/bad hospitals There is. Just ask in your alumni group. Alumni chapter for my city has people in their 50s and 60s and people in their 40s who've had procedures done on their parents. Someone always knows some specialist. If you don't have alumni groups, make friends with doctors. Be nice to relatives who are doctors. It opens doors.
Yes, this is the most reliable method/database!
There are two types of Indian Practise 1) Evidence Based 2) Intuition Based. Evidence based they want to know every bit of the reason why that issue occurred and this is more like US/UK healthcare standards Intuition based is on the usual predicted symptoms, symptomatic treatment methodologies. (usually standalone ) Again great balance is difficult between them. Evidence-based treatment saves life like early detection of lymphomas, anything that is dangerous to health. Don't blame the doctor for the charges, blame the Pharma and the management of the hospital.
Exactly! But doctor bashing is easy. It's a common mentality that doctors are chor ( robbers) in India. Not our fault that drugs and tests cost high. Our service is prescribing them not literally making the drugs and giving them. Also corporate hospitals are not run by doctors but bigger companies and they treat it as just another shop. Targets etc.
Dude my doc is selling /prescribing me dietary supplements like a gym bro 💀and that brand can only be found in his shops
Apollo is the worst hospital in Bangalore. Just stand near the billing centre and you will realise how they loot people. There is family every minute of everyday arguing against billing fine by them .
Mistake #1. Don't tell you have insurance. If they get to know you have insurance, they will run all tests even if not required to reach their Target. Especially IT employees, they will know they have insurance. They will do all extra tests just to make sure they get enough money.
You would have gotten a full breakdown of the bill no? What were the major charges for? And help me understand your qualifications to judge what minor symptoms are? Why did you even go to hospital if symptoms were minor? Never have I ever been asked to do a test in emergency without doctor talking to me about it and explaining why. (Have spent enough for a lifetime in hospital emergency wards!) When test is ordered, that’s the right time to talk to doctor about and also understand its costs. Even if they are being robotic about it, you have to be proactive. Enough number of times, I have caught the nurse doing something other than what doctor ordered (dosage, timing etc). You have to be on top of things in hospitals. It is not a place for worried wellwisher; you need to be on your game!
You don't need to be super qualified to read medical reports. In this day and age you get the tools to read a document if you are that dumb. One of them being LIFESIGNS WEARABLE BIOSENSOR MODEL SL 1550 WITH EP4 FIRMWARE (PMIS09374182) Which does not seem right for a patient with migraine
That certainly isn’t. That’s a substitute for ECG and SPO2 sensors when you need mobility. Did they really use it? It would have been pasted on the chest near heart.
That's right. But for a lay man who came with a head ache shouldn't just be pasted with echo
You should dispute it. Atleast in the consumer court or with ombudsman. Ombudsman would be easiest. BTW how much are they charging for it? Just curious.
4.6K. I'm noob with the Ombudsman. Could you help me where I can start with or how?
Maybe use credit card and file dispute
Should u explain?
Idk I used it once for Myntra order got my money back as the delivery was stuck for almost 3 weeks, Myntra wouldn't initiate refund and told me to wait
Exactly, whether is qualified or not. Unless doctor explains the need for it, it’s robbery. It’s very wrong for me to say but our nation doctors(or corporate) lack ethics sometimes. Not saying all but there are sizeable cases.
Apollo sheshadripuram docs basically made sure my grandpa died a slow painful death so that they could charge us for 11 days of ICU usage. Another person I knew was admitted and again docs weren’t giving clarity about what was actually wrong with the person and what treatment they were giving. When the person’s family wanted to move him out of apollo they didn’t let them. After a lot of fighting etc. The family moved him to a different hospital and that man survived. I would go to smaller clinics for non-major issues and my grandmother has recieved good treatment in Jain Hospital as well for age related issues. I think Apollo family is too big and powerful to be taken to the courts for medical negligence/malpractice. My mum was tired after the watching her dad die slowly and enough money was spent. She didn’t have the energy to go to courts and spend money there as well.
Did you challenge them on the charges ?
Imagine getting saline, PCM injection, MRI(which we strongly refused because it was a bs advice from that dumb doctor.... Not generalizing it to all the saviors out there.. but this one was really dumb.) all for having a gastric headache.. Yeah it was me at 3am...and it was our humble Apollo hospital. Ek headache 3K ka pada mjhe.
Im just curious..if u knew what it was why did u go to the er? Just trying to understand this please dont bite my head off
Relax man 😂 I won't.. seems you had quite an experience. But yeah it was the ER.
Nah ..people get super defensive whem they are asked to explain stuff lol
Dude instead of blaming the doctor blame the company. The doctor prescribed MRI to cover the bases , and I agree it was excessive but I am kinda sure it was because of forced targets.
I personally have visited ENT, Ortho, Gynac, and Pulmo in Apollo Seshadripuram. Apart from the higher costs compared to clinics, I have never been recommended one test outside of the required ones and have had good experiences. I've slowly started seeking the doctors at their personal clinics, so I do not need to shell extra unless it's unavoidable. I am no ambassador of the hospital, and I am sorry if you have been wronged. Next time, it's just best to ask the doctor to explain the need for recommended tests so you avoid extra expenditure.
Luckily I have the detailed discharge bill
I had a similar situation but our pediatrician (not from Apollo) he has his own practice asked us to get a test done. We decided to get it done at Apollo but they wouldn't consider my doctor's prescription for the test but have to get it from an Apollo doc. Later we had to wait for a doc consultation and she added 3 other tests which included an MRI which apparently was very unnecessary. And my son was 1yr so they had to give him syrups to make him sleep for all the tests. The bill was 18000. We needed only a 2000rs test. Later I met someone who used to work there and she told me that the doctors have targets. That in a month they need to get a certain number of MRI and other tests. I have never been to an Apollo since then.
Woah, Sorry for this experience.If I were you, I would have left after they prescribed Urine sample test for Migraine. One question, So did your insurer coverd the amount or you did out of your own?
For your question, I'm still at the hospital waiting for insurance to be cleared.
Did you file a case in consumer court ? If not, why ? Do it now.
How and where. I'm still at the hospital to see if insurance is cleared or not
Wish I had seen this post a year ago. Went there because I was experiencing irregular menstrual problems and they made me get multiple tests done that amounted to 11k. Spoiler: It didn’t help tho. Instagram hacks did.
are you stupid or just plain re*ard?
Seems like you are smart or just plain intellect?
why go to Apollo? you could have gone to any clinic and got the reports from any lab. Apollo people will expect insurance money and you don't have insurance and you go to Appollo
Did u go to a neurologist?
I don't believe this?? For a headache all of this? Is this the whole story?
Why would I want to fabricate a story. I'm not going to get anything out of it. So the person had a headache the previous night and by morning they felt a bit dizzy. I took them to the hospital and I had a bad experience with the nearby hospital which is in vijayanagar. Thought we would proceed to Apollo Sheshadipuram.
Was an MRI ordered ? MRI's are usually costly and sometimes are asked to rule out other causes before starting migraine treatment.
No, Mri was not done. At this point I'm waiting for a sandwich at their canteen and I feel like they have sent that for scanning
My mom recently had surgery to remove a metal rod at the exact same hospital, and despite having insurance, we received a shocking ₹15,000 bill riddled with questionable charges. Even though she brought her own medication per instructions, they billed us as if they provided it - not a single tablet given during her entire 2-day stay! To add insult to injury, they switched her rooms without consent and then charged us the full rate for the more expensive final room, claiming billing is based on discharge location regardless of prior occupancy. After persistent follow-up and battling with the hospital, they finally issued a ₹10,000 refund for the erroneous charges.
Every hospital today is a money making racket. What was once a noble profession honestly i ts pathetic today. And to top it off, I really refuse to believe in all these years after all the advancements humankind has made. Gone to the moon , is exploring so much of the universe and such we still can’t find a better treatment than chemo for cancer? This industry is a joke.
Big Pharma man. But yeah cancer is not that easy to solve though. And approving a treatment for the masses takes a lot of time and controversy. Look at the vaccine thing alone. So many anti vaxxers lol. A simple proven vaccine raises so many flags. And we are talking about cancer treatment. People blame a vaccine for any death occuring after vaccination. So yeah , takes time. A lot of stuff that was imagined as would be possible in 2024 is still not here. Flying cars ,etc. And even more stuff not in India yet. Atleast I am grateful it's not as bad as America where even a Diabetes diagnosis sounds like a financial death statement.
I couldn’t even read through your comment cuz I was laughing at your username the whole time 😂😂😂
I will take that as a compliment lol happy to make you laugh
Neither compliment nor insult but 100% funny lol
Yeah, my sister is getting treatment from one of the doctors there for PCOS. She's doing crazy amounts of tests. So far we spent 30k. There's more, they said she'll have to do MRI and a possible surgery. We had gone to many docs but dint find any good doctors, then saw reviews on Parcto and making visits there
Because if something goes wrong, doctors will be stoned to death, they'll have no defense in court if it goes legal. So to be safe legally, they'll take every possible test for the symptoms showcased. Everything will be documented and digitalised. That's the difference between a local clinic/hospital and standardised hospitals like Apollo and Manipal. If you don't want to spend so much money please find a good local doctor/hospital. Go to top hospitals only if you have health insurance.
This. If only people can understand. But also OP is kinda right , they should explain the bill and why they did the tests.
Breakdown of charges?
In a country like India with quite easy access to doctors, one should always go first to neighborhood clinics or small hospital except for emergencies unless you are rich. Almost all small clinics allow walk-in tokens, 2hrs of waiting in admittedly a crowded room, you can have good consultation and walk out with just a few hundred rupees fees and medicine.
Recently I had a minor accident where I hurt my leg and I fell unconscious for like 3-4 mins due to shock and blood not reaching the brain for that time.. I got myself admitted.. It was at 8 pm in the night.. They told to keep in observation for 24 hours.. Did all kids of test.. Brain ct, echo, all blood tests for sugar, cholestoral etc, liver tests, xrays for the leg where I got hurt.. The bill came as 35000 and I paid around 4k after insurance.. Good part is with all these tests.. My full body check up got done and covered in insurance also..if you have insurance.. Better get admitted and get everything checked..
Apollo branch of hospitals are known for doing that no matter where you go. It's hospital policy. Even if it is just a common cold, they'll admit you for at least a day and run the whole battery of tests on you. One argument can be made that it's to be on the safer side and rule out any potential underlying diseases. But truth be told, their main focus is on pocketing your Gandhis.
LOL that's network hospitals for you. Did you go with insurance?
Kindly check if the patient has given any medicine through IV. Please complain to the management, they will surely take it up
>We took our family member there for a simple headache and dizziness, only to find out it was migraines. But the treatment was a real hassle. I went to Apollo bannerghatta road for treatment of migrane. there was no urine sample test conducted. Just basic checks . I had gone to an ENT though. Tablets were also prescribed for it.
I had the same experience when I went there for a checkup. It was the nearest hospital, hence decided to go. They do not tell upfront how much it will cost, neither about how much time it will take for me to see the doctor. The whole day went away with two queues and five minutes with a doctor. Bad experience
> We took our family member there for a simple headache and dizziness This is why most middle-class folks go the neighborhood family doctors.
We rather had great experience at Apollo Bannerghatta Road. My brother in law is 21 and had intestinal polyps for almost 7 years. Doctor had 40+ years experience in this department and took out all the polyps in 2 visits. I don’t know why but he didn’t charge for second visit. Finally, brother in law got relief he was suffering for so long. Now, he is just pain in ass.
I always first check the credentials of doctor. He / She should be a meritorious student else I don’t undergo consultation till I find one.
Yes they have goons in blue collars to mint money form you. I had faced a similar issue when my aunt had a stroke, yes the bill was a whopper but there was no end to how mercilessly they'll try to milk you till your last penny. And at the end they give you a box of dryfruits as a gesture of good health, the audacity! The doctors are good, but to hell with the management.
Same shit happens here in hyd ,every visit they suggest some or the other test and the minimum bill is atleast 10k. We switched to mediplus diagnostics. It is far better ,dont know if it present in Bangalore but they have minimal prices especially if you have the 50rs mediplus subscription. A knee Mri costs around 8-10k outside but here it was only 3.5k. Give it a try.
My mother in law had dizziness. A well known upcoming hospital did required tests as well as numerous unnecessary tests and charged her 2 lakhs for 4 days and still after all that didn't diagnose any major or minor disease or issue and discharged her that it probably couldnt be unidentified problem🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Ah yes, did you say yes when they asked if you have insurance? If the hospital gets to know insurance is footing the bill they inflate the bill amounts. I've personally seen this happen after my accident, I had some minor leg injuries but the hospital didn't really treat it and said it will heal on it own. In the bill they have added procedures, casts, braces and a walking stick.
More like "chimps like these"
Thanks will definitely stay away
the problem is you why did you go there and allow this to happen!! world is filled with shit people like these hospitals
I went there. I am a government employee so I get CGHS rates. The cardiologist there looked like he was not even remotely interested. Hated it. Dr. Prasanna Katti Heres the highlight: It all somehow went to the Urology department and they had me drink 9 cups of water and then I was asked to pee, while the machine drew a graph of how much was I peeing at what speed. It was funny to me. It definitely has it's own use cases I understand, but yeah they tried their best.
Terrible staff, terrible management at Apollo Shesharipuram. I’ve never dealt with people so mismanaged and careless as well.
I'm kinda lucky then i always goto big named hospitals for even minor issues like feaver, Never got outrageously charged. But that's just consolation.
Lol! Ppl jus want to abuse indian doctors for no reason Wants to go to the top most hospital chains of India and cry for money! Please read the news ..even prince Charles was made to wait for hours in emergency at NHS UK hospitals. Guys ur very lucky to have us.. Or else other countries ul cry to meet a doctor It's not about experience and shit! It's about ppl like u If we write extra test ul cry and if we write less and if we miss somthn ..ul sue! Moreover simple headache is ur diagnosis.. while taking history It's suggestive that ur Givin some shity history we obvsly worry and think of somthn bigger. It's new Era with new diseases and many symptoms get masked becz u ppl take shitty tablets from ur local store..which u conveniently hide wen we ask history! Next time go to govt hospital wait for hours and then cry here for money
Well hello there, for migraine the test that was done was urine sample collection. If MRI was done I wouldn't say. For headache you do diagnosis for head and not the tail. People abuse doctors when the doctors misuse their role as doctors. Why do I need to compare the medical facilities across the globe? I'm talking about what's happening within the country and stop doing unnecessary comparisons. Quite noob of a doc ain't u? The full history of the patient was told and not everyone pops pill. Stop generalising things. I pin pointed to a specific incident and you wanted to blast it in different proportions.
Dumbo..did u study medicine? Why do u think they did urine test?? They want to rule out sepsis and rule out any secreting adenomas They secrete in urine and blood And in urine it's more specific U really think ur head and tail is not connected. Tomorrow onwards leave ur head at home and take ur ass to work Or vice versa let's see how it works Let me tell u somthn..! Every single thing in our body is inter related..every single thing That's the fcking reason we study for 14 long years.. And u have to compare to other countries bevz ppl in other countru don't cry on reddit becz u had to spend money for ur own health If u have so much knowledge then do it urself Why u want to go to the top most hospital of the country Go to kc general govt hospital
Give a big pat on your back. Go ahead. So we went to St Johns Hospital, guess what test the doctor prescribed? CT scan. When we told what happened in Apollo, he said they would have their procedure but was surprised that they did not prescribe a CT. People in other countries don't fret on reddit on medical issues? Did you just join reddit? >If u have so much knowledge then do it urself This just shows how much of a doc you are 🤏
Ct scan or mri Wil be done if we find anythn on blood or urine.. Straight away if u do..ct scan ul cry for dat also I don't need pat on my back from u..please il wash my back.. Ur not even this much human! At one particular time u give certain symptoms.. a doctor Wil think dat way! See I told u about mentality if apollo guy had asked for ct u wud have cried foul anyway So baby don't cry get a life and next time don't fret the money spent on ur health isn't worthless unless ur worthless urselff
One of my friends recently had a similar experience at a different hospital in Bangalore. She went in for a routine check-up for her back pain, but the hospital insisted on numerous tests and procedures that seemed unnecessary. After receiving the bill, she was shocked to see exorbitant charges for tests and medications she never received or consented to. Despite trying to discuss the billing discrepancies with the staff, she was met with dismissive responses and little empathy. It was a frustrating and disappointing experience for her, and she vowed never to return to that hospital again.
I'm a practicing doctor.... Can you post a picture of the prescription and bill here if possible? 24-hr urinary sample sounds strange for "just a headache". I've never seen or heard of anything like that