Two years ago, I wrote in this column about a visit I had just made to a private hospital in New Delhi, India. “Medical tourism on steroids” is what I called it. I said hospital charged $180 for a full body checkup which included consultations with a physician, cardiologist, gynaecologists (for ladies), mammograms, ultrasounds, ECG tests, blood work testing everything your work weary, calorie consuming body has endured in the recent past etc.
Early this year, I chose to visit their mother hospital in Chennai. They have a snazzy, air conditioned and carpeted Platinum Health Lounge which does the same checkup for the eye watering amount of $500. Please apply sarcasm font as you read that amount as I’ve paid half that for the same kind of blood work only here in our leafy, tree lined capital city. The interesting part was each doctor I encountered was very familiar with Kenya, rattling of a whole host of names from the political elite (so much for client confidentiality) as being their regular patients.
