Frequent hospital users can now get special discounts

While no one enjoys frequent visits to the hospital, patients at Kohinoor Hospital, Kurla can now avail of a discount as a consolation prize for their regularity.

While no one enjoys frequent visits to the hospital, patients at Kohinoor Hospital, Kurla can now avail of a discount as a consolation prize for their regularity.

The hospital has introduced ‘Health-Switch’ cards and is the latest among several private hospitals offering loyalty programmes, giving discounts on health check-ups, consultation and diagnostic tests for a membership fee.

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“I was waiting for this to launch and signed up immediately. We are a big family and often, one member needs medical attention. Consultations are expensive and this card will give us a substantial rebate on such services,” said Sadhana Patne, 32, who was one of the first to pick up a card on Tuesday.

In the past two years, hospitals such as Fortis Healthcare and SevenHills Hospital launched a Privilege Card and Easy Card respectively. Patients can sign up for these programmes for a nominal fee, ranging from Rs100 for a single member to Rs1000 for a family, entitling them to discounts.

“We believe the card will be beneficial to patients as it is convenient and will reduce their overall expenditure,” said Dr Rajeev Boudhankar, vice-president, Kohinoor Hospital. Hospitals said it is a win-win strategy as patients get discounts and hospitals are able to build long-term relationships.

“Small discounts make a difference. Every consultation costs Rs500 to Rs600 and a 15% discount is a lot,” said Swapna Thakur, assistant general manager, SevenHills Hospital.