An Indian doctor has said that doctors he met in Europe were “completely shocked” when he told them how quickly patients in India can access specialists, undergo tests and begin treatment. He added that they “couldn’t even believe” that, in some cases, cancer treatment in India could start within a week.
(Also read: ‘I thought healthcare in Germany would be easy’: Woman shares reality of finding a doctor’s appointment ) He then gave an example of how quickly a patient with a suspected cancer symptom may be able to access medical care in India. On the very same day, their MRI can be done. Bhatt added that reports can arrive within three to four days, following which treatment may begin shortly afterwards. “The report comes within three to four days, and based on the report, whether it’s surgery or chemotherapy or whatever treatment, we can offer it to them within a week. Here, just to get a GP appointment, it often takes four to five days. He clarified that once cancer is diagnosed, patients there are given priority and receive quicker appointments.
However, he said appointments with other specialists can sometimes take a week, 10 days, 15 days or even longer.
“I told them that in India, if someone feels, for example, that they have something like an ulcer on their tongue and it might be cancer, they can go directly to an oncologist. On the same day, if it looks like cancer, their biopsy can also be done,” he said. So they couldn’t even believe that within just one week, we could start treatment for any cancer patient,” he said. “But they felt, wow, how advanced of a system this is that within just one day a patient can receive treatment,” he added.
