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I found that private corporate hospitals in
India can provide a very advanced level of
care. These hospitals are becoming a hub for
medical tourism and are mostly governed by
non-medical CEOs. I found difficulties in
dealing with patients' financial needs there.
Most of the discussions with patients were
about how to tackle the money problems.
The lead doctors were taking responsibili-
ty for raising funds from NGOs. If you don’t
have money, there is no treatment. We were
trained to become Junior Robin Hoods to help
poor patients.
I travelled abroad to explore and learn
advanced level medical practice. The most
impressive aspect of working abroad is better
work-life balance. Even though medical
practice comes with a significantly higher
responsibility, the workplaces are well secure
and working hours never exhaust our mind
and body. We feel empowered and valued. We
learn to work as a team rather than a lonely
warrior in the battlefield.

I moved to a different tertiary level
government hospital outside Kerala as a
post graduate trainee in Paediatrics. Most
patients came from remote villages and they
had to travel long distances to arrive at the
hospital. Even though the patient load and
expectations were similar I felt the doctors
were much more respected and the work
environment was free of abuses and threats.
Overall, the communication with our patients
was better.

The backbone of our health care system is
made up of hard working and underpaid
trainee doctors. These doctors are left behind
to work for many hours without any break
which can possibly affect the quality, thereby
affecting patient safety. Such violation of
human rights, matters of patient care and
safety are regarded with utmost priority and
never taken lightly in western health care
systems. In my experience at NHS hospitals,
I was not allowed to work a night shift if was
doing a day shift. If my weekly working hours
are exceeding the legal threshold, I must
undergo compulsory rest.

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2K1 MBBS, Trivandrum Medical College