Greedy and callous; Unprofessional and incompetent. Review on Bensups Hospital - Delhi

I was on a short visit to Delhi in November and had to go to Bensups in an emergency. My one-year old niece was hurt badly in a small accident at home. For a small (but deep) cut on the skin they recommended that they admit the child, give her general anesthesia and have their plastic surgeon carry out a surgical procedure on her. I specifically asked whether general anesthesia is advisable for such a small baby. The plastic surgeon replied that they can do general anesthesia for even a one-day old baby. He asked us to get the child admitted by paying Rs12, 000 upfront.

After that he went for lunch. We paid the money and waited for two hours. No further instructions or information was given to us. In the meantime, the child calmed down and we gave her something to eat. After a while, the anesthesiologist came and said that  we have to wait for another six hours because the child has to fast for a minimum of six hours before anesthesia can be given. This is something that they could have explained at the outset when we discussed the treatment plan.  Explaining in detail the treatment plan and the requirements for anesthesia should be part of their standard operating procedure. When I made a ruckus about it they said, ok, we will do the surgical procedure after four and a half hours. This complete arbitrariness in their approach gave me a clear signal that I could not entrust them with my child's well-being. Luckily I had paid the money by credit card so getting a refund was not too difficult (although they initially said that they could return the money only the next day).

I got my child out of Bensups and went to another hospital. It turned out that no general anesthesia was necessary. Application of a medical adhesive and a simple band aid was all that was required. Later I spoke to other doctors and read up some medical journals. It is quite clear that general anesthesia is not recommended in babies unless it is absolutely necessary.

Through out my interaction with Bensups staff -- doctors, assistants, management -- their sole focus was on selling me the most expensive procedure (although it was not required or even totally safe). They hardly cared for the child's suffering. The reception was highly disorganized. For example, they did not even know which plastic surgeon was on duty that day. The coordination among the different parts of the hospital was extremely poor. Of course, all private hospitals need to make money in order to make ends meet but it can not be at the cost of patient's welfare.

It is great that Dwarka has got a super specialty hospital like Bensups, but until they get their act together and commit themselves to certain ethical standards and a certain level of professionalism, I will not recommend it to anyone. If there is an emergency and you do not have any other option but to go to Bensups, make sure that you are on top of things, ask them a lot of questions, be extremely hard nosed about the money, and do not ever completely trust them.