Medical services to undergo seachange

SURAT: Gone are the days when Surtis used to take pride in going to five star hospitals of Mumbai for treatment of the smallest health problem.
The time has come for role reversal, if the medical fraternity is to be believed. With at least four super speciality hospitals coming up in the city, three of them owned by private companies and one to be set up with joint efforts by city-based medicos, the medical scenario is all set to change in the coming days.
Those who are monitoring the development closely expressed the day is not too far when Mumbaikars will come to Surat for a cardiac surgery which will be dirt cheap in comparison to Mumbai.
Though the city has seen a tremendous growth in terms of population and infrastructure development, medical services had failed to keep pace with the development in the past.
However, now with major market players like Wockhardt, Care Health Services and others finalising their deals to set up super-speciality hospitals at strategic locations, medical service in the city is witnessing major changes.
Earlier doctors used to claim that the lacuna was particularly in some specialised areas where people still prefer doctors of Mumbai to Surat for their treatment.
But now specialised areas such as kidney transplant, surgery related operations, psycho surgery, cardiac related practices and others would be covered in the services offered by the upcoming projects.
"Today everything is available in Surat except renal transplant. If Wockhardt and a Hyderabad based company are investing here, they must have gauged proper returns. Importantly, Surtis have now become much more conscious about their hospital expenses.
They are now comparing the charges, something they never did in the past,"said Dr Mukesh Vaghela who has tied up with a Singapore-based health firm for specialised treatment. Another medical practitioner Ketan Bharadwa said, " the availability of proper infrastructure and specialised doctors in the city and air connectivity has made it more feasible for patients from outside the city to come here."