Experience with TMH

Since name of Tata is associated with Tata Memorial Hospital anybody would expect efficiency and discipline. Unfortunately it is far from true. I have seen that the Doctors are experts, their labs are well equipped, their diagnosis is good but the administration is hopeless. Patients are not treated as human beings leave about treating them as patient. Nurses and ward boys barring a few, literally shout at the patients. In the Day-Care unit, hardly one or two out of 6-7 nurses would talk politely and smile, rest would frown and treat you as if you are an intruder. Patients have to keep standing for hours in the OPD because there are very few seats provided compared to the number of patients visiting. It appears from behaviour of support staff that they are under huge stress. It may be because of large number of patients per staff and crammed accommodation, because if the space around a person is reduced stress sets in. Agreed that the population of cancer patients is so high and increasing day by day but if administration is innovative they could find solutions. In my four months experience I have seen that the situation was only going from bad to worse.
Waiting for your turn in the OPD is a big ordeal. If one is comfortable standing and waiting for his turn with occasional shouts from ward boys you can be sure that the chemo therapy is yet to be administered to that patient. I have waited for five hours in various queues on my fist visit that too with empty stomach. Here only cancer in the patient is nicely treated but human in the patient is thoroughly ill-treated.
I find the greatest advantage in getting treatment from such typical Govt like hospitals is that your ego is completely thrashed. You feel like you are a beggar begging for restoration of your health that too after paying heavy amount. You are made to forget your so called position in the society. I feel, next time I go to any Govt department I would prefer to squat down on the floor even though a seat is offered to me - just out of injected humility. Great isn’t it ! …I am close to achieving Nirvana – positive side of a torture.