Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Setting high standards in medical care industry

Dr. Bakthavathsalam expresses concern over increasing commercialisation of the industry

COIMBATORE: G. Bakthavathsalam, Chairman and Managing Trustee of KG Hospital, is one of the few doctors in the city who have witnessed the transformation of Coimbatore into a city synonymous with quality medical care. When technological advancements in healthcare were very few in Coimbatore, he introduced certain rare diagnostic equipment.

Dr. Bakthavathsalam spoke to Anasuya Menon.

Having completed his post graduation at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Chicago, and been to more than 12 countries as visiting professor, Dr. Bakthavathsalam wanted to implement in his hometown the best of the techniques he had learnt while he was abroad. He also was one among the few to introduce the concept of a corporate hospital in Coimbatore. KG Hospital was set up in 1974. Dr. Bakthavathsalam was the recipient of B.C. Roy Award in 1984 and was conferred the Padma Shri in 2005.

"That was the time when general hospitals were centres of excellence. Though diseases were not as many as one would find today, the healthcare delivery system was very primitive. Also, most of the doctors who left India to pursue higher education abroad never came back. I wanted to do something for the community, which did not have access to quality medical care," he said.

Ventilators were a new concept then. The whole of Coimbatore had only two Electrocardiograms (ECG), five X-Ray machines and one ventilator. "At that time we needed to set standards according to the American system," he said.

Even though the advances in the practices followed by the Indian medical community had brought about a heartening trend, Dr. Bakthavathsalam expressed concern over the increasing commercialisation of the industry. "A doctor should never treat a patient keeping profit motives in mind." This attitude should be inculcated in students, teachers, doctors, bureaucrats and even the general public, he added.

Coimbatore had immense potential for medical tourism, but the city unfortunately lacked the infrastructure back up to support the inflow of medical tourists, Dr. Bakthavathsalam said. Though the only tourists who came to India seeking medical treatment were those who did not possess a medical insurance in their country, the phenomenon could help the country generate revenue. The Government should allow aircraft to land in Coimbatore. If that happens, market would improve.

The number of flights and hotels should increase. Even hospitals should have exclusive wards for medical tourists. Separate counters serving food according to their tastes were also necessary, he said.

Though the standard of medical care in the country had gone up compared with the last few decades, there were still certain areas which doctors here shied away from, he observed. Liver transplants were not done here. "The number of alcoholics was increasing and hence the cases of cancer in the liver were also on the rise. We need to have centres exclusively for liver transplantation."

Heart lung transplants were also not done in India. "It is done even in small countries such as Singapore. We have not come to the level of Singapore in health care delivery even in this hi-tech age," he said. Even bone marrow transplants were very rarely done in India.

According to Dr. Bakthavathsalam, Coimbatore had the potential to be akin to New York city. The bureaucracy should invest more time and money in Coimbatore. "If the Government can invest Rs. 5,000 crore here they would get 50,000 crore in return. The people in Coimbatore are entrepreneurial."

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