Why Is Fortis Healthcare Not Able To Answer A Simple Question?

So it has been more than a week and Fortis has still not replied to my query, I sent them an email and also posted on their Facebook page where I was promised they will get back to me soon.

Meanwhile I have been hearing lot of complaint from the general public regarding carelessness. People are telling me not to have any hopes of change or of ever hearing anything from them. I don’t know what is taking them so long to figure it out, my question was pretty simple. Why should one register, paying 500/900 bucks every time they enter Fortis hospital for the treatment? On Fortis’s website there is a picture of Mr. Ashish Bhatia asking people for their feedback, to share their experience with Fortis, I wonder what’s point of all that if they can’t take criticism and get back to people on time regarding query/concerns? 

Here’s what I had written to Mr. Bhatia…

Dear Mr. Ashish Bhatia,

Greetings

I have a query and I think it is a serious issue and must be addressed on priority. I have been a Fortis member in Bangalore for 2 years now. I first registered at the Cunningham branch, when due to some reason I had to go visit the Bannerghatta branch I was again asked to register which I found very strange. What is the point of being a member if you have to register paying around Rs. 500 again and again at every branch and, that too, within the city? 

Recently during my visit to Delhi I had to visit a dentist at Fortis in Vasant Kunj branch as an emergency where I was informed by the receptionist that I have to register yet again and pay Rs. 900 this time! I informed the receptionist that I’m a Fortis member and have 2 registration numbers, why do I have to register all over again. This is very stressful and unnecessary trouble for a patient when he/she is already a member. To which he responded, “Sorry madam, you have to register!”

Fortis claims to be a “leading, pan Asia –Pacific, integrated Healthcare delivery provider” and has a vision of becoming a global leader. You spend so much money on branding and advertising, not to mention making the hospital look like a 5 star hotel. Is that where my registration money is going?

Why isn’t there a facility where once a member is registered, their registration number is their ID in every branch? I don’t see how one can aim to be a global leader if such simple processes are not in place otherwise what’s the difference between Fortis and other hospitals? It just looks better but that’s not the reason why people visit a hospital, they go there to get help and treatment without getting more stressed out! A member is supposed to receive certain benefits, one of the reasons why a system of membership exists.  

Mr. Bhatia, I’m very disappointed with this experiences and I’m sure this is something which could have already been sorted out. I would like to know why not.

I hope I don’t get ignored or put on to various people who give me false assurance and excuses. Please do respond and take measures to make the changes in the registration process.

Sincere regards,

 

Series of Unfortunate Events & Stupid Healthcare Delivery

It is said that we use only 10 % of our brain; it represents 3 % of body weight and uses 20% of body's energy. Yet we seem to think so much every day, we plan and schedule our days, weeks and months. From education, career growth to financial growth and security, we try to take care of every aspect of our lives.

Conditioned over the centuries to plan, live and behave in a certain way, pushing our brains to overwork and take on more and more stress. The stress levels are shooting at top speed, diseases are catching up with us faster and more frequently. We join meditation and healthcare classes, turn to spirituality and seek help in the weirdest places possible to find peace. But what do you do when you are hit with a series of “unfortunate events”? How do you cope with the daily hits?

The last one month has been something like that for me; I seem to be finding all the bumps and potholes on the roads. My health has been playing rotten tricks on me, coupled with that, the endless trouble shooting of the day to day affairs. 

Shifting to a new house every year sort of makes you an expert in few things like packing and unpacking, living out of suitcases and boxes to basically living like a hippie! You learn to adjust and become self proclaimed problem solver when it comes to getting cartons and cello-tape for knickknacks, or locating the nearest grocery or medical shops in a span of 5 minutes. Finding the quickest and less congested traveling route and cooking makeshift dinner for yourself; yeah, that feeling of independence and power does give you a high initially. But after a point you get sick and tired of repeating this annual cycle. You want stability, to belong to one house you can call home and feel like you are in one. 

The stability bug bit me this year, and I swore that I will find a place where I can stay on for a reasonable time; any duration more than one year sounds very reasonable right now. And I almost did, a cozy place I can call my humble abode. A place that I don’t have to share with anyone; where I can live on my own terms and conditions. “Ah, finally the victory is mine” moment came to an end just two weeks after shifting. 

The daily firefighting began, with that came the news of my travel to Delhi, the city of rape and abuse!
My stay in Delhi was short and completely devoted to my training schedule. Soon I heard the news of Tarun Tejpal’s case... every time I visit Delhi some terrible news related to assault on women follows. Another painful news followed soon; my right jaw ached nonstop for 3 days. So severe the pain was that I had to visit the Fortis hospital in emergency, being a member of Fortis I thought things would be smoother. How wrong was I and how efficient Murphy (the Law of Murphy) was! I had wait in line for 15 minutes to register again in Delhi Fortis hospital; in fact you have to register every time you visit a new branch. What stupidity! What’s the point of membership if you have to register and go through long sickening formality process during emergency? They charged me 900 hundred buck for the registration, when I asked the receptionist why they are following such a silly process which is so troublesome and confusing for a patient, all he could do is say, "sorry madam you have to register!" Ya dude, my sole existence on this planet is only so I can register myself at new a Fortis outlet every time I fall sick.  

Fortis claims to be a “leading, pan Asia –Pacific, integrated Healthcare delivery provider” and they have a vision of becoming a global leader. They are making profit in crores and they plan to take strategic decisions to focus growth in India. 
 
My Terrible Idea? I plan to take this up with them because this just doesn’t make any sense to me, if you can’t provide basic solution in the healthcare sector what good are you as a global leader?

Penning Down My Journey

I had to take a train to Delhi for work few days ago, due to sudden change in plan the journey became sort of last minute with only a day to prepare. Sometimes, no matter how well you plan you end up doing firefighting because nothing goes the way you had imagined.

Just to avoid such situations I reached the station one and half hour early and waited for my train. It was a good opportunity for people watching. The lady who was cleaning the platform was in a foul mood as people kept dirtying the area she had cleaned. Children were crying and shouting for their parents’ attention and their parents were completely occupied with saying goodbyes, hellos, buying snacks for the journey or talking to their relatives.  Vendors dealing with dozens of customers swiftly, this is when they make quick bucks. Railway station is where you see a plethora of emotions pouring out, some are nervous, sad, lost, happy, some are excited, irritated or hyper. 

It was time for my train to leave, the engine shouted in protest as it pushed through the tracks. The night was painful, my right jaw and every nerve leading to my teeth ached. The intensity was enough to make me want to cry out but I didn’t want to scare my co passengers. I opted for the best option, popped a Crocin and imagined mini doctors treating my jaw to make the pain go away. 

As we passed Andhra Pradesh, I saw garbage spread next to tracks, the lake was littered with plastic and non-degradable junk. It seems no one is bothered to clean or patrol the area to ensure that no one throws anything. The railway authorities and the passengers continue to treat every place as public property when it comes to using and abusing the land and lake. After a point it seems pointless to ask people not to throw garbage on streets, throwing them in the dustbins seems like a better idea! Parents never seem to be bothered when their children toss chocolate wrappers on the road; once I glared at a father of a 6 year old so hard that he mumbled something while picking up the wrapper his kid had thrown on the footpath. My journey across cities always brings out this harsh reality to surface that we are lazy beings, wrapped in a bubble of our own, refusing to act when needed and crying, instead, at our so called helplessness to do anything useful.

The weather was sleepy; it even rained a little bit and the sun was hiding behind the clouds. Just like our conscience…About time we wake up from the slumber of denial.

When Will Bystanders Learn to Stand-by People in Danger?

Today I watched Crime Patrol, a TV series on Sony channel presenting true crime cases in a dramatized version. Today they aired the murder case of 2 youngsters killed in Mumbai. 

On the night of 20th October 2011, Rueben Fernandes (28) and Keenan Santos (25) were stabbed and beaten mercilessly by a gang of eve teasers as the crowd watched. Kennan died on the spot while Santos fought for his life for 11 days before he, too, succumbed to the injuries. Both died trying to protect their female friends.
Rueben and Keenan, along with their four friends met for dinner. They later went to a nearby paan shop where a gang of four goons started passing lewd comments on the girls. The group of friend initially tried to ignore the gang, but the sleazy remarks turned into physical advances, Santos an Keenan had to intervene. A heated argument ended with Rana, one of the gang members, abusing and threatening the boys. After few minutes, Rana returned with a big group of goons and started beating the group of friends. Keenan was stabbed several times and Rueben was being beaten nonstop. By this time a crowd had gathered but no one came to help despite the cry for help. Onlookers just stood there and watched the brutal act. The incident raised an uproar in Mumbai and brought public on the streets after the death of two youngsters. But it was too late, two precious lives were lost forever. It was disturbing to know that none of the bystanders tried to help at the time of the incident.

Keenan's girlfriend described how he was killed here....

Soon after watching Crime Patrol I searched the web for crime cases that happened in public and found many.

• A woman was chased and killed on Patna road on July 14th 2013.
• Another woman was beaten and thrashed around in public in Ludhiana, Punjab this year.
• In Bangalore, a man was hacked to death in public by a group of six people 
• A young girl was molested in broad daylight on a busy road in Patna as onlookers stood and watched.

The horror seems endless, while the victims go through hell in public places, the bystanders choose to watch, even laugh, instead of helping. What stops a person from coming forward to help? Why can't people put a stop to such acts by being brave for once in their lives? How can they live with themselves afterwards?

So many deaths could have been prevented and much of the trauma avoided if few people had chosen to act when it was critical. There are so many disturbing questions running through my mind and no answers yet...

Fearless…We Are Rising!

It was  one of the most wonderful and energetic moments of my life to see women from every strata of society gathering at Cubbon Park to rise with the 1 Billion Rising on 14^th Feb. They were truly fearless as they danced, basking in in their own freedom. They were smiling and laughing, unafraid of the world and its judgements or the skeptical gaze of some of the men. Women, children and men gathered to break free and stand up against violence, injustice and abuse against women.

It was so heartening to dance under the warm sun, to shake our hips and shoulders, throwing our hands up in the air without worrying about what people will think or say. For once, taking what rightly belongs to us, our free will! A two month old pregnant lady boogied for hours, her face was glowing and her eyes shined like twinkling stars. A fifty plus woman took over the dance floor in full gusto, she was in her element. Young girls felt encouraged to see women of every age expressing their feelings and talking about their hardships. They laughed and shouted, so bold and beautiful, stood next to each other in solidarity, we cried and applauded the courage of those who stood up and faced the world and fought for their rights and the rights of other women.

The violence against women and children everywhere in the world is dreadful and shocking. From rape and torture to sabotaging their growth and labeling them as property or sex objects.

At the event, few men from the crowed were still checking out women, catcalling and hooting, unaware of the cause. They thought we had come to have fun, ignorant of what it meant for the abused and tortured women to come forward and speak up.

Looking at these wonderful women filled me with pride and strength; somehow, my problems seemed trivial and manageable. I looked back at my life and felt grateful to have such a wonderful and forward thinking family. They raised me with love and respect, protected me and encouraged me to follow my path. I have gone through some bad times, a 15 year old phase, which left me broken and lost. It filled my heart with bitterness and doubt; the violence and apathy I see around makes me question everything. But something inside me is rising, pushing me forward, to prepare for a flight of my life. As we lighted candles I felt a warm, it signified hope for a better change. It was a tribute to the brave women who fought for justice, the glow of peace filled us from within. All is not lost, we have so much to do and see, so many to help and so much to learn. We are rising, that’s what matters… Fearless and strong! 

Photo - Courtesy Pallavi Parijat 

The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, wrote his views on "change" thousands of years ago. Later, many philosophers and writers, like Pluto and Diogenes, translated and refined his thoughts into quotes. My grandfather used to repeat this phrase to me when I was young, full of questions and emotionally strung. Agitated and horrified by the news on animal and human cruelty from around the world I used to walk up to him and demand an answer, "When will all this end??? Why can't it be stopped??? This is too much!!!".

"The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change", he would tell me. But what about the hurt and pain one suffers now??? How can one hope for things to change, for better or for worse, when it is so bloody unbearable to live each moment? 

He used to say things, wise and soothing, immediately putting me at ease. Even if I didn't agree, his words would give me hope and strength. Instantly unblocking my mind, letting it breath again. My grandfather had told me to always ask questions, never stop, "somehow, the answers will come". I wish I could talk to him again. I'm haunted with many questions and doubts, my sanity and thought process is bordering on cynicism. Every day I see more and more animals being tortured, abandoned and used, women and young children raped and molested over and over again or our leaders giving idiotic and disturbing statements and stalling justice.

Again, my soul is restless, searching and screaming for answer. Why would anyone go to such a length to hurt another being? What pleasure do they get out of it?  What makes human so powerful or gives them the right to destroy a life? Do we need another catastrophe or a heinous crime for people to start asking these questions? When will things change? More people need to ask these questions, because it is our problem. We are part of this planet, connected and brought together. Ignorance is bliss, yes, only until you suffer the same fate. 

We can bring the change if we stand up and ask questions, if we protect and support another life. That change can be for better and longer. Not just by pointing fingers. The change will come by taking responsibility and speaking louder, fighting for every life as if its our own. See beyond the materialistic mirage , there's more to life than fancy malls, branded clothes and gadgets. Food that comes from torturing another life or kicking your loved ones out of the house for convenience can never give you true happiness and peace. Exploiting life for profit and hiding behind excuses to lead a prosperous life? Is it really worth it then?

Always ask questions, never stop, somehow, the answers will come.