By R. Chandra Prakash
Mysuru is affectionately called by different names due to its certain unique features. It is called as a Heritage City, a City of Palaces, a Cultural City, an Educational City, Yoga City, a Sandal City, a Tourist City, a Film City etc. But one particular feature, which is equally unique to Mysuru is unrecognised, and therefore Mysuru has missed out on one more much deserved sobriquet — it is also a Medical City!
For a population of the size of Mysuru the availability of every kind of medical infrastructure for every kind of health problem within this city is quite remarkable. Mysuru has about 800-plus doctors and more than 1,400 clinics and hospitals. It is due to this phenomenal health related facilities that many prominent medical entrepreneurs from this city had planned to create an international health hub here.
They had a plan for creating a health-based tourism to attract patients from all over the world by coupling the flourishing tourist industry with their medical profession. They had even planned to have Helicopter Ambulance links with some major cities of the country to make this possible. And their professional expertise had a strong business logic.
The waiting time for even a minor operation such as appendicitis in some European countries and in the USA could be few months. The medical costs could be exorbitant, the insurance coverage limiting factor. Oil-rich Middle Eastern countries have money in plenty, but the medical facilities are highly limited. The foreign exchange value differences gave India an edge. With the high credibility of the Indian medical professionals all over the world this was a win-win proposition. It is unfortunate that this grand plan did not take to wings and Mysuru lost a great opportunity.
However, this minor factor does not nullify the claim for Mysuru to be called as a Medical City. Let us have a brief glance over a few facts.
A brief history
Wadiyars’ era was imbued with the idea of societal concern in every developmental effort. They strongly believed to be a model to its citizens when it came to their belief in medical treatment. They had strong faith in traditional medical practices like Ayurveda. They practiced a good health regimen by patronising activities like Yoga and Kusti (wrestling). However, they also valued modern allopathic medical practices and founded many big hospitals.
Wadiyars established the iconic Doddaspatre (K.R. Hospital), the Ayurveda and Unani Hospital side by side as if to emphasise their belief in both the streams of medical practices. They provided with spacious Cheluvamba Hospital for maternity care within K.R. Hospital complex and an Ophthalmology Block to deal with eye ailments. They built P.K.T.B. Sanatorium in a very sprawling green area on an elevated place to deal with dreaded T.B. They also built a separate hospital for dealing with other epidemic diseases on an hilly place near Eidgah Maidan. They also established a large residential school for the visually and hearing impaired children.
Above all, they established a Medical College in Mysuru which went on to produce thousands of highly merited and dedicated medical professionals. They have served the State, the country and abroad, and brought laurels back home. The large auditorium of Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) in J.K. Grounds, with an alumni membership of more than 1,000, stands testimony to the contributions of MMC doctors all over the world.
Many philanthropic-minded businessmen in the city have built large hospitals to serve the poor and the women.
These medical facilities built by the Wadiyars have spawned a large Government and private medical infrastructure which could be envy of any other city in the State and the country. And a right to be called a Medical City as well.
Today
Over a period, the entire Government medical infrastructure in the city has undergone a metamorphic change. In the K.R. Hospital complex a new OPD Block, an Emergency Block, a Surgical Block, a Paediatric Hospital, Diagnostic Centres such as Pathology Lab, X-Ray, CT scan facilities, a few nurse quarters have been added. P.K. Sanatorium complex is full of large speciality hospitals. Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research, Multi-speciality K.R. Hospital Extension Block, MMC&RI Extension Block, a new Ayurveda Hospital and Pancha Karma Complex are located there. A large ESI Hospital, a new Epidemic Hospital and District Hospital Complex have come up nearby on KRS Road.
Today, Mysuru has a plethora of private medical facilities — Diagnostic Centres of various categories like Pathology Labs, X-Ray, CT/MRI, Cath Labs, to a small cellar-based physiotherapy clinics to a well-equipped large physio-clinics; from one doctor clinic to a small residential block hospital to several corporate level multi-speciality large hospital; there are hospitals exclusively treating cancer; then there are individual Ophthalmic specialist centres to medium and big eye-clinics/hospitals; from single dentist clinics to big dental clinics providing range of dental care; clinics providing treatment for ear, nose and throat; Clinics attending mainly to skin ailments, and not to forget the problems relating to hearing and speech.
And the city also has a large complex of private medical college and multi-speciality hospitals, 10 life-saving Blood Banks, more than 300 pharma-wholesalers and 600-plus retailers dealing with more than 48,000 formulations!
Medical City of Mysuru today has facilities for every ailment at different affordable costs. A bird’s eye view of that will be very enlightening indeed.
Another article by the same Grahachara’ crowd member, who wrote a pathetic series of articles with chaotic explanations to say why Mysuru is going the Bengaluru way.
Now this poorly produced article.
This fool forgets that in Europe and USA, people have medical insurance to cover elective surgeries along with emergency treatments which are attended to immediately. Why would these foreigners risk their lives, considering that in Mysuru hospitals operations are often bungled, and the patient’s life is dangerous situation?
These medical colleges churn out doctors ,who got their entries to the private medical college by paying hefty capitation fee, and hence not secured on educational achievement; specialist postgraduate medical degrees are earned by throwing money.
Even if these ignorant foreigners want to come to India, they do not, why should they come to Mysuru , when Bengaluru has hospitals like Manipal Hospital or Bombay has a dozen hospitals of that category?
Patients get infected in these hospitals which do not have international standard of cleanliness.
This ignorant author does not know, not surprised too, that Singapore holds the top position of attracting health tourists, many from India, to its excellent cluster of hospitals where doctors do know about the diseases, and how to treat them.
Remember, even the AIIMS could not treat ‘Nirbhaya’ , the rape victim of New Delhi a few years ago, and the poor woman was sent in a comatose state by a specially-fitted plane to a Singapore hospital.
The SOM seems to be interested in the deluded prattle of this retired commerce professor of a local college, and also of Shenoy a fellow member of the demented crowd-the MGP, who has posted his credentials in an open letter to PM Modi, claiming an ‘international oil expert’, and asking him to intervene to get the gas pipe line project going!
Just attention-seeking ‘Grahachara outfit character, facilitated by the SOM, which seems to be desperate to get articles.
I wonder why Javeed Nayeem was not given the opportunity to post an article like this, considering that he reminds the readers that he is a MD,a cardiologist and the ultimate wisdom source for anything related to healthcare!!
Another article by the same Grahachara’ crowd member, who wrote a pathetic series of articles with chaotic explanations to say why Mysuru is going the Bengaluru way.
Now this poorly produced article.
This fool forgets that in Europe and USA, people have medical insurance to cover elective surgeries along with emergency treatments which are attended to immediately. Why would these foreigners risk their lives, considering that in Mysuru hospitals operations are often bungled, and the patient’s life is dangerous situation?
These medical colleges churn out doctors ,who got their entries to the private medical college by paying hefty capitation fee, and hence not secured on educational achievement; specialist postgraduate medical degrees are earned by throwing money.
Even if these ignorant foreigners want to come to India, they do not, why should they come to Mysuru , when Bengaluru has hospitals like Manipal Hospital or Bombay has a dozen hospitals of that category?
Patients get infected in these hospitals which do not have international standard of cleanliness.
This ignorant author does not know, not surprised too, that Singapore holds the top position of attracting health tourists, many from India, to its excellent cluster of hospitals where doctors do know about the diseases, and how to treat them.
Remember, even the AIIMS could not treat ‘Nirbhaya’ , the rape victim of New Delhi a few years ago, and the poor woman was sent in a comatose state by a specially-fitted plane to a Singapore hospital.
The SOM seems to be interested in the deluded prattle of this retired commerce professor of a local college, and also of Shenoy a fellow member of the demented crowd-the MGP, who has posted his credentials in an open letter to PM Modi, claiming an ‘international oil expert’, and asking him to intervene to get the gas pipe line project going!
Just attention-seeking ‘Grahachara outfit character, facilitated by the SOM, which seems to be desperate to get articles.
I wonder why Javeed Nayeem was not given the opportunity to post an article like this, considering that he reminds the readers that he is a MD,a cardiologist and the ultimate wisdom source for anything related to healthcare!!
So,the hub plan to attract Western health tourists ,using their hard currency to Indian Rupees conversion differential to provide cheap operations for them?
It sounds like the IT Indian Tech coolies who carry out the cheap program coding work in IT sweat shops in Bengaluru, by creating a crowd of surgeon coolies in these hospitals/clinics!
When Indian IT techies maul their program codes, that operate a system, human lives are not lost. But an Indian surgeon coolie mauls his Western patient in one of these hospitals/clinics, that should be the end of the patient’ s life.
After all the graphic scenes seen in the TV news clips, where Indian patients died in last year’s pandemic for lack of oxygen supply, and where Oxygen supply was available, it was switched to a VIP patient letting the non-VIP patient to die, which Western patient would have the courage to visit one of these death rows called hospitals/clinics in Mysuru just to save a few hundred Dollars or Euros, only to find that his life is going to be terminated there?
This author writes nonsense.
For example, if the free healthcare system in Western Europe , has a queue for a procedure, people simply go to Eastern European countries like Slovenia, Hungary etc.. where the quality of surgeons is excellent and the cost of operations is low.
In the US, If the medical insurance company is not prepared to meet the cost of an operation, it is easy to cross the border to go to Mexico or better Cuba, which is known for excellent surgeons, and get the operation done cheaply.
Why come to Mysuru, braving bacteria-ridden food and bottled water and dodging stray dogs which seem to be congregating near private hospital gates and in the road leading to the hospital, getting bitten by them, and adding Rabies to the existing illness!
What nonsense is this. Is this author delusional ?
I see some sour loser toxic A$$holes who do not believe that some of the poor students and their parents work very hard and dedicatedly to get in to Medical and Engineering colleges, do well in their education and become doctors and engineers. They readily abuse them by calling them ‘Coolies” Some of the so called ‘Coolies’ are highly merited and have a lot of principles , work very honestly to serve the people in a corrupt system. While no honest work including the coolies should be disrespected, some of the mentally retarded people abuse them by calling them ‘Coolies’ and such mental retardation can’t be helped even by the advanced medical sciences or Psychiatry! Also, it is too late for teaching them any decency which their parents did not try to teach them decades ago!
Here is one news item for those worthless scumbags that should put them to shame if they have any left!! . Just to let you know – People are proud of such coolies !
https://www.kannadaprabha.com/specials/2022/feb/11/third-child-of-kerala-daily-wager-couple-too-joins-mbbs-463965.html
@Dr Coolie
You show with your post why you are really a Dr Coolie. A demented soul, burning with jealousy and i
If you know advanced medical sciences, then explain your skills, if you have any. You can’t because,you got into medical college on the basis of reservation or money.
Some cheap jibs makes you who you are: an ignoramus who simply fleeces the patient and leave him in bankruptcy.
Who would come to Mysuru to be treated by morons like you, when they can have a pick of hospitals around the world, and even in India like in Mumbai, where they can teach you a thing or two.
@Dr Coolie
You show with your post why you are really a Dr Coolie. A demented soul, burning with jealousy and i
If you know advanced medical sciences, then explain your skills, if you have any. You can’t because,you got into medical college on the basis of reservation or money.
Some cheap jibs makes you who you are: an ignoramus who simply fleeces the patient and leave him in bankruptcy.
Who would come to Mysuru to be treated by morons like you, when they can have a pick of hospitals around the world, and even in India like in Mumbai, where they can teach you a thing or two.
Hello @Dr Coolie
You need to tone down your abuse. It is not benefitting you as a doctor, if you are one. Not surprised as doctors like you in Mysuru/India are usually very rude.
I posted too, explaining why there are better skilled doctors and surgeons in Eastern Europe and in Cuba. No need for a Westerner to come to this city, when Mysoreans themselves are going elsewhere, having bankrupted themselves with failed treatment in Mysuru.
Yes, there are dime-a-dozen MDs and MSs in Mysuru, but they are no good, as evidenced by experiences of my relatives- a few of them I had to finance to go to Singapore to remedy the damage by doctors in Mysuru.
Mysuru ,and indeed Indian hospitals and doctors can only compete based on the US Dollar to Indian Rupees conversion rate, that too for a simple operation like cataract. But then the plastic lens fitted is so poor in quality that another operation is often needed in the West to replace it.
The term ‘coolie’ refers to the cheap labour based on the above USD to Rupees differential. That is the only reason , why the work of program coding is given to India-as at least 6/7 Indian programmers can be deployed for the cost of 1 programmer in the West. Hence, the term: ‘IT coolie’is used in the West. Physicians and surgeons in Mysuru can only treat a patient from the West based on the cheap treatment cost; it is not unreasonable to refer to them using the term: ‘coolie’. That is factual observation.
Indian doctors have to go through a series of tests and exams before they are accepted even for a junior position in the West. That says more about the quality of medical education and training, not to speak of ways the admissions to medical colleges in Karnataka take place. Fact.
The author, Chandra Prakash says:” It is due to this phenomenal health related facilities that many prominent medical entrepreneurs from this city had planned to create an international health hub here”
The author at best is delusional and at worst is very ignorant. These days in the US, all those in work are covered by health insurance. In Europe and in Australia where the government treats patients free at the point of delivery-operations for example. Where there is a queue for this service, patients have other means to get treatment-additional health insurance or as a poster said getting operations done in cheaper European and Latin American countries, where healthcare is excellent. No need to come to Mysuru.
Not long ago, ac close relative who visited us in the West with his wife, from Mysuru, developed a health problem. He was treated by a specialist friend, with visits to his consultation room and tests, which costed us a couple of thousand Dollars to stabilise his condition. A full treatment for several days in the hospital and diagnostic tests etc.. would have set us back by at least 80,000 USD.
In the meanwhile, we contacted one of the best hospitals in Mumbai, giving them the test results to prepare them in advance. The total fee for hospital stay for a few days, the tests, treatment under the best specialist, as well as travel cost for his son from Mysuru, all costed only a fraction of the above cost in the US. The advantage of USD to Indian Rupees conversion rate! The criterion is relatively cheap fee for the specialist , one of the best in Mumbai, but less than a tenth of what his American counterpart charged for the consultation. Why Mysuru then?
No need to come to Mysuru at all ,when there are excellent hospitals in Mumbai. Even Manmohan Singh , the then PM had his heart by-pass operation done in Mumbai.
@Dr Coolie
Let us examine this : ‘coolie’ term in this context: I am assuming generously that you are a top physician in Mysuru and your initial consultation fee is Rs1000. Here in the Western city I live, if I did not have health insurance, I have to fork out $500 – about Rupees 40,000 for the initial consultation.
What should I call you then: Yes, Dr Coolie, a cheap physician, which you have branded yourself! Rest my case.