COMPARISON
OF COST OF MEDICAL TREATMENT IN NEUROLOGICAL ILLNESSES (INDIA versus USA) (in
US dollars; 1 USD=70 INR)
|
INDIA
|
USA
|
Neurologist consultation fees
|
10-20
|
500-600
|
CT scan charges
|
30-60
|
1,000-1,600
|
MRI scan charges
|
150
|
2,600
|
EEG (routine)
|
30-60
|
500-600
|
Long term EEG recording
|
150
|
3,000
|
NCS/EMG
|
50-150
|
1,000-5,000
|
Botox (One vial cost)
|
300
|
525
|
Hospitalization for acute STROKE treatment
|
1,500-7,000
|
14,000-30,000
|
The costs in India are that of private hospitals and
diagnostic centers. Also, the discussion pertains to Neurology treatments in urban
areas and metros of India.
Costs are exorbitantly high in USA
It is obvious that
the treatment costs are several times higher in USA, as compared to India. I
agree that insurance companies cover most of the cost in USA, but individuals still
need to pay at least 10-20% of the bills. You can imagine the fate of those who
do not have medical insurance (about 12% of Americans do not have insurance). In
2007, 62% of filers for bankruptcy in US claimed high medical expenses. US
spends about 10,000 dollars per year per person on healthcare. About 20% of GDP
is spent on healthcare. The medical treatment costs in the US are the highest in the world.
(Source: Washington Post)
Waiting periods to see specialists/get procedures
are long
In USA, there are long
waiting periods to see a Neurologist, as well as, to get the procedures (EMG,
EEG, Botox, MRI, etc) done. In India, one can see a neurologist, get the MRI
done and get it reported by a Radiologist in a few hours! On the other hand, the
average wait time to see a Neurologist in USA is 30-35 days. Getting the MRI done
and its report would take several more days. The situation in UK and Canada are worse, where one may have to wait for 2-3 months to see a specialist and get an MRI done.
The charges are
higher in several other countries too, including Singapore, Australia and
Thailand.
Indian Neurologists are well trained and
experienced
Regarding the expertise
of Neurologists, training in premier Indian Institutes such as AIIMS, PGI
Chandigarh, NIMHANS, CMC Vellore, Sree Chitra, Tiruvannathpuram, JIPMER
Puducherry, etc are at par with the best in USA. The clinical experience of
treating neurological illnesses is several times more among Indian
Neurologists, simply because they see more number of patients. There are about
2000 neurologists to cater to 1.25 billion people (one Neurologist for every
6,25,000 people). In comparison, US have about 18,000 neurologists for a
population of 320 million (one Neurologist every 18,000 people). On an average,
Indian neurologists see 3-4 times more number of patients as compared to
American or British Neurologists.
In summary,
Neurological treatment costs are much lower in India as compared to US and many
other countries. The access to Neurology care is easy, and has little or no
waiting times. Neurologists in India are well trained in the subject and have a
vast clinical experience.
DR SUDHIR KUMAR MD
(Internal Medicine) DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant
neurologist
Apollo Hospitals,
Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
