Thursday, 10 July 2014

The Money Making Machine.....Beware before going for a heart surgery in Asian Heart Institute

it was last year that one of my friend's father got admitted in asian heart institute under Dr. Panda for bypass surgery.....overall he was very dissatisfied by the ways they were treated....they found it difficult to get the answers to many questions which were bothering....their overall stay in the hospital was not pleasant at all....even after spending a huge amount of money they were not satisfied with the hospital.....

after coming back they discussed with me the problem faced by them and the fellow patients in the hospital.....fortunately i am having a friend who worked in that hospital , and left the hospital a few months back only.....i decided to ask her , and what i found from her left me dumbstruck.....i really felt like cheated .....

thus i decided to write a review about Asian Heart Institute to help other people from being cheated by the hospital.....i hope this review will help others to get alert before going to asian heart institute for their heart surgery.....

all what is needed to know before going to Asian heart institute is here....

11.)    A Bypass Surgery takes around 10 hours to finish in Asian Heart Institute whereas it generally takes 5-6 hours at other places.....

Its all the game of money…the more time your patient spends in operation theatre, the more money Dr. Panda makes…patients are charged extra for the extra time spent in operation theatre…patients are called at 8 in the morning…after bringing into the OT patient is anaesthetized and other cardiac surgeons prepare the patient by opening the chest and harvesting the conduit (artery or vein) to be used, and then the extra money making time begins for The Businessman mind  Dr Panda…the patient keeps waiting on Operation table, anaesthetized and chest opened, for Dr. Panda to come and start the grafting…but as Dr. Panda is also the VC and MD of his hospital, he least cares about the patient and remain busy in administrative meetings till late in the evening…by the time he is busy in meeting money is being generated for him by addition of operation theatre hours the patients are spending in waiting period on operation table….its only after 6-7 pm that Dr Panda head towards OT to operate upon the waiting patients….
The ultimate brunt of waiting is to be suffered by the patients…both in terms of paying extra money for extra hours spent in OT…. and the harmful effects of unnecessary long term anaesthesia,  and altered haemodynamic changes and drugs unnecessarily required to maintain the haemodynamics of the patient in anaesthetized state….
The patient remains on losing side in both the ways....the only person who gets benefitted is Businessman Dr. Panda…..who with one hand is saving few lakhs by not appointing a Managing Director for the hospital and doing the job himself….and with the other hand he is snatching the money out of patients’ pocket on the name of extra time spent in OT…..
For this Doctor , who has turned to a Businessman completely, all by mind , heart and soul, only thing that matters is to collect huge and extra amounts of money from the patients….for making money he has kept humanity and morality of a doctor hung aside…..he had lost the heart of a doctor long back when he decided to be a money earning  businessman…..

22.)    no surgeon comes for rounds in wards to see the pre and post cardiac surgery patients…..

in wards patients are seen  by junior-most on duty ward doctors, most of which are not experienced enough to handle the patients’ complaints…none of the surgeons comes to see the condition of  patients in wards…..the reason for this is because they remain so busy in taking care of patients waiting for Dr. Panda on Operation Table, that they cant manage time to come out of OT and see the patients in wards….it is due to Dr. panda that patients in wards are suffering negligence  from the side of doctors that they are not able to visit the patients admitted in wards….

33.)    Patients who have come for OPD have to wait for hours till midnight for Dr. Panda to get free from operation theatre to attend the patients in OPD…..

There is this impression that Dr. Panda has made among the public that he is very dedicated towards his medical profession and works 10-12 hours daily in the Operation Theatre, for which he spends whole day in OT….due to which he often gets late to get free from OT, and thus he has to keep his OPD in late night….but the truth is
 “Dr. Panda doesn’t go for surgeries till late in the evening by 6-7 pm”…..
 “Businessman”  Dr. Panda remain busy in meetings with different hospital staff members, totally neglecting responsibilities of being a  “Doctor”  for his patients in OT who remain lying chest opened and anaesthetized on operation table…..the result of going to OT late is that he comes out late from OT, and eventually  patients who have come for OPD have to wait for hours to see Dr. Panda….he totally don’t care about the patients whether inside OT, in OPD or admitted in the wards….for this businessman money is the only big thing which he cares all about….

44.)    Patients are forced to get admitted into higher billing class….

Yes this is true….most of the patients must have experienced this as well that they are forced to get admitted into higher billing class stating that no dates and slot available in lower billing class for many days to come….the patient who is already in tension due to his heart disease, gets more tensed by the thinking  that what if something wrong happened to him if he waits for the surgery…, although his financial condition is not that strong, he somehow manages money and gets admitted in the higher billing class….
Ever wondered why this is so….?
The answer is simple, AHI is a money making machine for Dr. Panda…when the patient goes to see Dr. panda , Dr Panda asks various questions from the patients and his relatives to judge the financial background of the family……if you give even a slightest hint that you can spend few lakhs more, which he doesn’t care where you will bring from, he orders his assistants to forcefully get you admitted in a higher billing class…..

55.)    Downgradation  to a lower billing class is nearly impossible after getting admitted in a higher billing class……

If due to unforeseen and unfortunate medical circumstances your stay in the Hospital prolongs more than what was expected, and you are draining out of money, your financial condition is breaking you down, its very difficult to get downgraded to a lower billing class in Asian heart Hospital….you are asked to give application for billing class  downgradation on which you don’t see any progress done for many days….the answer you get from the people on desk is that they cant do anything, they have already forwarded your application to the upper management, as soon as they will get the clearance  from the higher management the process will be done…..and by the time you wait for the clearance for next 4-5 days, your patient gets better and you get a discharge from the hospital with a huge amount of  bill to pay…..
The meaning of higher management here is Dr. Panda only….nobody can promise you anything unless the green signal is given by Dr. Panda…..thats why many a times patient’s relatives have to directly go to Dr. Panda’s office or write an email to him , after which their application is taken care of…..patients get an impression that it was the management who was delaying the process, but actually it is the so called one and only “higher management”  because of whom the process is so complicated…..
So, if you are planning to come to Asian Heart Institute for treatment, make sure to bring loads of money with you…..there is no place for poors in this hospital…..

66.)    Are their any beds reserved for poor patients in the hospital….?

The answer is on paper - yes,  and in reality - NO…..
There are provisions of lower billing classes like common class and common AC class on paper….but admission under these classes are the kept as last resort…..while giving the date for the surgery, the staff here will try to admit the patient who is asking a common AC to twin sharing class by saying that no dates are available for common AC…..if you are not able to pay for Twin Sharing then you are kept on hold and is said that they will call you as soon as the date is available…..
The common class, (which is even cheaper  than common AC), hardly any admissions are taken under it….

77.)    Surgeries list is often kept more than what can be done in a day, and that’s why operations are postponed for the next day almost on daily basis…….

Patients are called and admitted giving a date of surgery…..just before the day of surgery you come to know that your surgery is scheduled the last one and you will be taken around 2 pm to the OT….all the preparations are done, patient is kept fasting, and then the waiting period starts….even after 2 pm , patient cant see any signs of being taken to the OT… are given assurance that a surgery is going on and you will be called from the OT as soon as it is over…..and finally you get a message that either some emergency has arrived or the condition of the patient in operation theatre has gone serious due to which your operation cant be done today… friend’s relatives operation was postponed for two days by this way……their fault was that they got admitted in lower billing class, twin sharing….
This is not something which happened by chance with them….this is a routine in Asian Heart Institute….staff is instructed by Dr. Panda to keep one extra patient in surgery list as a backup……the result of which is almost daily a surgery is postponed and the patient ends up paying one day extra charge of the hospital stay….yes , they don’t even consider deducting one day charge from the hospital bill, which is actually nowhere patient’s fault…yet the patient only is punished, both psychologically and financially......
This a great way of revenue generation which the Businessman Dr. Panda has forced into work….

 8.)  The big question…..Even after paying such a huge amount of money, is it for sure that you are operated upon by Dr. Panda…..???????????

The answer is a big NO…..
Even after paying such a huge amount of money, just to get Operated from so called great Dr. Panda, patients  get no guarantee that they will be operated by Dr. Panda only….as stated above, he enters OT only late in the evening, he spends only few hours in OT operating on the patients….the major chunk of work is done by other senior cardiac surgeons…..70-80%  of CABG  are done by other doctors…..your only surity of getting  operated by Dr. Panda is only and only if you are some VIP….
Now matter for the patients to think is that then for what are you spending such a huge amount of money for a bypass surgey in Asian Heart Hospital when you can get operated in less than half the price in other good hospitals by other equally good surgeons……..?


  1. To this I would review I would like to say that I have experienced most of the above things since my dad was admitted in the hospital...same things surgery being limit to total bill extra ICU stay for unknown reason.. with CABG they will add on more few surgeries which you will not even be informed will come to know only when you ask for the interim bill..and yes the surgery without any reasons will continue for 12 hours...I mean a surgery which generally takes 6-8 hours max took 12 hours in my case and till date I dont know the reason for the extra hours I had been charged for. Go for Asian Heart only if you have tons of money and 15-20 Lakhs bill dosent affect you.

  2. The bitter truth. The story is same everywhere..all medical centres. They are like slaughter house. Medicine is no longer a profession. Poor class or middle class have no right to fall ill. So its better to remain fit rather to live insect of heartless so called Gods...

  3. Surgery takes 3-4 hours max. Rest is to show what a difficult n lenghty procedure was done.

  4. And Dr Panda is proclaiming to be the Messiah by saying our hospital gives no cuts as if all are giving. This HAS to be accepted by gullible patients.

  5. Dr.Panda sure is a hypocrite.If the above report is authentic,God save his gullible patients.

  6. Fourteen years back, I had angio for Chest pain and the Doctor advised me to get operated immediately. One of my relative advised me to take opinion of Dr. Panda. After seeing my angio, he advised me not to go fro bypass surgery and put me on medicine. He also told me to attend cardiac rehabilitation.
    Since then, I see Dr. Panda once a year. I am still leading an active life. My experience with Dr. Panda and Asian Heart Institute has been entire opposite.

    Akash Jain

  7. We are grateful to the team of Medical staff and support staff at Asian Heart Institute for their excellent care and professionalism. We are impressed by the high level of medical knowledge and expertise and feel happy we chose Asian Heart Institute. We are very happy with the excellent care given by Dr. Panda, Dr. Dora and Dr. D Silva.

    Shivlal Valabhjee

  8. We thank you Dr. Panda and your entire team from the bottom of our hearts for granting a new lease of life to our dear Head of the family - Mr. Gamesh Doshi. Surgeons lke you are not just doctors, but the real life savers. I may not have talked to God in my prayers, but in your services I have seen some of his favours. Thank you.
    Gamesh Doshi and his family.

  9. I find the above article very wrong. My experience was entirely opposite of this.

    I was operated in Feb 2007 for CABG. I took 3 opinions and found Dr Panda's opinion to be the most consistent. I had mediclaim and not one paise extra was asked for.

    My surgery went as scheduled. I recovered as scheduled. My Rehab went off very well and I ran my first Half Marathon within 11 months of the surgery.

    All this would not have been possible without the professional treatment that I received.


    P. Venkatraman

    If you want further clarificaitons, please do write to me

  10. Not Everyone may be fortunate like you and not everyone is so unfortunate...we have heard cases of extreme side bothways. But in General Medicine is considered to be Profession, doctors are next to God, you submit them your near-dear ones. Lets Pray everyone does their duty diligently. GOD IS GREAT.