04-04-2005, 11:49 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Outstanding medicare </b>
Rainer Kellers / New Delhi
IT IS the best medical institute in India, I was told. So I was quite curious to see the famous All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Would it look like any of the big hospitals I visited in Germany?
My first impression: My God, this hospital is really big. In fact, it comprises not only one big building but is made up of several ones. It takes me and my colleague, whom I accompany, a while to reach the main entrance. Here, a lot of activity is taking place: There is a steady stream of people heading for the entrance; some of them are visible ill or injured; others seem to be visitors' ambulances are coming in and out.
Next to the main gate there is a large queue of people waiting in front of the reception area. It is evident, that the hospital is very popular. Not only, but especially with the underprivileged people. They come to AIIMS, I am told, because the treatment is one of the best, at the same time affordable. Some of them are coming from other cities, even from foreign countries. However, the other side of the coin is: It is indeed crowded. I can clearly see that without even entering the building. And it becomes even more obvious as we go inside.
We came to AIIMS because my colleague had an appointment with one of the doctors. As soon as we enter, we get lost in the building. We ask one security officer. But he has never heard the name of this doctor nor can he tell us the way to his department. There are just too many of them. We try to find the way ourselves. And suddenly we pass through the emergency area. Here, the impressions are overwhelming. Injured patients are everywhere; I can see doctors treating patients, people waiting for treatment; patients with newly fixed plasters; people in pain and ones with hope on their faces.
Again, it is very crowded. But who would be surprised? The AIIMS is catering to 1,5 million outpatients and 80,000 inpatients every year. Impressive figures. Even the biggest hospitals in Germany can't compete with these numbers. Although it sometimes is comparably crowded. I remember one instance in the city of Cologne, which has a well known hospital linked to the university. I was waiting there for nearly six hours, only to be treated by a stressed doctor for five minutes. On the other hand - it was the right treatment. Sometimes it's worth to wait longer.
In the end, after a long quest through the corridors and floors of the hospital, we reach the office of the doctor. My colleague makes her interview and as they speak about new achievements on the field of researching, I realise, that it's not only medical care that makes AIIMS outstanding, but the research too
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Rainer Kellers / New Delhi
IT IS the best medical institute in India, I was told. So I was quite curious to see the famous All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Would it look like any of the big hospitals I visited in Germany?
My first impression: My God, this hospital is really big. In fact, it comprises not only one big building but is made up of several ones. It takes me and my colleague, whom I accompany, a while to reach the main entrance. Here, a lot of activity is taking place: There is a steady stream of people heading for the entrance; some of them are visible ill or injured; others seem to be visitors' ambulances are coming in and out.
Next to the main gate there is a large queue of people waiting in front of the reception area. It is evident, that the hospital is very popular. Not only, but especially with the underprivileged people. They come to AIIMS, I am told, because the treatment is one of the best, at the same time affordable. Some of them are coming from other cities, even from foreign countries. However, the other side of the coin is: It is indeed crowded. I can clearly see that without even entering the building. And it becomes even more obvious as we go inside.
We came to AIIMS because my colleague had an appointment with one of the doctors. As soon as we enter, we get lost in the building. We ask one security officer. But he has never heard the name of this doctor nor can he tell us the way to his department. There are just too many of them. We try to find the way ourselves. And suddenly we pass through the emergency area. Here, the impressions are overwhelming. Injured patients are everywhere; I can see doctors treating patients, people waiting for treatment; patients with newly fixed plasters; people in pain and ones with hope on their faces.
Again, it is very crowded. But who would be surprised? The AIIMS is catering to 1,5 million outpatients and 80,000 inpatients every year. Impressive figures. Even the biggest hospitals in Germany can't compete with these numbers. Although it sometimes is comparably crowded. I remember one instance in the city of Cologne, which has a well known hospital linked to the university. I was waiting there for nearly six hours, only to be treated by a stressed doctor for five minutes. On the other hand - it was the right treatment. Sometimes it's worth to wait longer.
In the end, after a long quest through the corridors and floors of the hospital, we reach the office of the doctor. My colleague makes her interview and as they speak about new achievements on the field of researching, I realise, that it's not only medical care that makes AIIMS outstanding, but the research too
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->