Ekant Juneja, 13, was in hospital with viral pneumonia on his birthday last Thursday but he has no complaints. He had four friends over for the day and they watched films, played games on the Playstation portable, overdosed on hot chocolate, pizza and brownies, and danced till late at night to Akon while his parents stepped out for a movie to give them some time alone.
“My neighbours at home complain more. A nurse would pop in to check on me every half hour. but besides that, they left us Balone. I could get used to this,” says the DPS student.
The trend is not peculiar to Delhi. With ceiling-to-floor stained glass walls, a fine-dining restaurant, beauty salon and a Wi-Fi resource centre, the only thing that marks the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai as a hospital is the sign that says ‘Emergency and Casualty’ and the directory of departments on one wall. Apart from the basic beauty treatments and massages, the salon offers ‘at-your-bed’ services to patients and wigs to those who have lost hair during chemotherapy for cancer treatment.
Money can’t buy you health, but it can make surviving illnesses less of an ordeal. Long queues, rude doctors, surly nurses, unpalatable food and disinfectant odours have been aspirated out of many corporate hospitals offering five-star treatment. Taking a leaf out of the hospitality sector, they are trying to make your stay as plush and comfortable as in a hotel. It isn’t cheap, but it’s an option, atleast.
Hospitals are increasingly focusing on minimising stress, both physical and mental. “We plan to set up a play area for chronically ill children so that they don’t get bored waiting. They may now even look forward to the hospital visit,” says Dr Anupam Sibal, group director, hospital services, Apollo Hospitals. But the medical aspects are not ignored. “Patients always choose based on treatment records, and so hospitals have been competing to get the best medical minds and equipment. Now that this is in place, the focus has shifted to comfort and facilities that would make it stand out from the others,” says a hospital administrator who refused to be named.
{{/usCountry}}Hospitals are increasingly focusing on minimising stress, both physical and mental. “We plan to set up a play area for chronically ill children so that they don’t get bored waiting. They may now even look forward to the hospital visit,” says Dr Anupam Sibal, group director, hospital services, Apollo Hospitals. But the medical aspects are not ignored. “Patients always choose based on treatment records, and so hospitals have been competing to get the best medical minds and equipment. Now that this is in place, the focus has shifted to comfort and facilities that would make it stand out from the others,” says a hospital administrator who refused to be named.
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