India’s private healthcare sector is under scrutiny after a doctor highlighted what he called “predatory pricing,” citing a case where a patient was charged ₹64,000 for just three days of diarrhea treatment. The issue has triggered widespread concern online, with many users sharing similar experiences of opaque billing and high ICU costs.
According to reports, the doctor raised concerns about how routine or manageable conditions are sometimes billed at disproportionately high rates in private hospitals.
In his tweet, Dr. Priyam Bordoloi raised concerns about high treatment costs by sharing a real-life example. In the case highlighted, a patient was billed ₹64,000 for three days of diarrhea treatment at a private hospital.
The case quickly resonated online, with many questioning how a typically manageable condition could result in such a high expense.
Dr. Bordoloi detailed the incident in a widely circulated post, reflecting on an experience from two years ago. He said he had advised his cousin, who is a germaphobe, to opt for a private hospital for diarrhea treatment, believing she would feel more comfortable there.
She was discharged after three days with a ₹64,000 bill.
While he acknowledged that certain costs in private hospitals, such as better infrastructure and improved nurse to patient ratios, can be justified, he criticized the lack of transparency in billing practices.
Drawing on his medical expertise, Dr. Bordoloi said he observed several concerning practices during the hospital stay, including:
Inflated prices for medicines
Unnecessary vitamin panels
A CT abdomen scan that was not clinically indicated
Overuse of antibiotics
Redundant diagnostic testing
He noted that while he could identify these issues as a doctor, most families do not have the same ability to question treatment decisions.
The issue of transparency is not limited to a single instance. A viral post circulating alongside the debate by @iamankitpande described the experience of families with relatives in intensive care units.
It highlighted how patients’ families often face daily medicine costs of ₹40,000 to ₹50,000, while being unable to enter ICUs or verify the treatment being administered. Medicines are sent directly from hospital pharmacies to restricted areas, leaving families dependent solely on billing records.
The post described a system where families are left standing outside and keep paying, with little insight into actual care.
(Rh/ARC)
