An American tourist has praised India’s public healthcare system after receiving free treatment at a rural government hospital in Odisha .
Mike, who describes himself as an international filmmaker, shared his experience in an Instagram video titled “American hospitalised in India “.
In the clip, Mike shared that he had been in India for just five days and was travelling through Odisha when he fell ill after eating too much of the local food. He spoke about being given IV fluids, anti-nausea medication and injections while being treated at the hospital. “Day five in India, and I’m already hospitalised. The video has since drawn reactions from social media users, with several praising the fact that he received treatment without being charged for the hospital care.
Sharing an update from his hospital bed, he said he had been vomiting every 15 minutes for around 12 hours before he was admitted.
I was in some rural government hospital, stuck full of needles, unable to even recognise the language on the walls,” Mike said in the video. Mike later said he was feeling fine but was surprised by the cost of his treatment – or rather, the lack of one. Comparing his experience with healthcare costs in the US, he said an IV bag, anti-nausea medication and injections could have cost him thousands of dollars back home.
