Editorial · non-clinical
Notes on finding and checking a doctor
How to check a doctor's registration, what qualifications mean, what care costs, and what you are entitled to as a patient in India. These are the parts of Indian healthcare that are a matter of record rather than of clinical judgement — which is why they can be written down plainly, and why nothing here needs a medical reviewer to stand behind it.
20 posts
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How to choose a doctor in India: a checklist that survives contact with reality
Star ratings and a busy waiting room tell you less than you think. Here is what separates a good choice from a lucky one, and how to check it.
Checking a doctor
3 postsRegisters, registration numbers, credentials and what to do when a check fails.
Checking a doctor
How to spot a fake doctor in India: seven checks
Most people who should not be treating you are not forgers. They rely on nobody looking. Here is what to look at, in the order that catches the most.
10 min read
Checking a doctor
How to file a complaint against a doctor in India
Four forums, four different outcomes. Picking the wrong one costs a year. Here is which does what, and what none of them will give you.
9 min read
Checking a doctor
HPR and NMR: India's doctor registries explained
Three registries, built at different times for different purposes, and only one of them reliably answers the question a patient is actually asking.
9 min read
Choosing and paying for care
9 postsPicking a doctor and a place, what it costs, and what the fee should include.
Choosing and paying for care
What to bring to a doctor appointment
A first appointment is short and mostly spent catching up. What to check, bring and write down beforehand so the time goes on the decision.
10 min read
Choosing and paying for care
Cashless vs reimbursement claims in India
Two routes to the same money, with different paperwork and different ways to go wrong. How each works, what the rules require, and where to complain.
13 min read
Choosing and paying for care
How to read a hospital bill in India
Estimates, packages, consumables, implants and the room you chose: what each part of a hospital bill means, what to ask for, and how to dispute it.
11 min read
Choosing and paying for care
NABH accreditation: what it tells you
The NABH logo says a hospital's systems met a standard when assessed. What it covers, what it cannot tell you, and how to check the claim yourself.
10 min read
Choosing and paying for care
Generic vs branded medicines in India
Most medicines sold in India are generics with a brand name printed on them. What that means for price and quality, and how to ask about switching.
11 min read
Choosing and paying for care
Doctor consultation fees in India: what you pay for
Consultation fees vary more by address than by ability. Here is what sets the price, what the fee covers, and the questions that prevent a surprise.
9 min read
Choosing and paying for care
Second opinion in India: when to get one and how
A second opinion is cheap next to the decision it informs. The hard parts are choosing an independent doctor and giving them enough to work with.
9 min read
Choosing and paying for care
Clinic, nursing home or hospital: how to choose in India
The words are used loosely and the marble in the lobby tells you nothing. What matters is what happens at two in the morning when something goes wrong.
9 min read
Rights and rules
8 postsWhat you are entitled to as a patient, and the rules that govern how you are treated.
Rights and rules
Can hospitals refuse emergency treatment?
No hospital may make emergency care wait on a deposit or a police report. Where that rule comes from, and how to use it when it matters.
12 min read
Rights and rules
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY: how to use it
A Rs 5 lakh hospital cover that many eligible families never use. Who qualifies, the 70-plus card, getting treated, and what to do if asked to pay.
10 min read
Rights and rules
Informed consent before surgery in India
A consent form is evidence of consent, not the consent itself. What Indian law requires before an operation, and what to ask before you sign.
13 min read
Rights and rules
ABHA health ID explained: what it does
ABHA is a key to your health records, not a store of them. How the number and address differ, how consent works, and what it cannot do for you.
10 min read
Rights and rules
What should a prescription contain?
A prescription is a legal document. What it must show, what Schedule H, H1 and X mean at the counter, and where online pharmacies stand.
10 min read
Rights and rules
Patient rights in India: the Charter, and how to use it
The Charter of Patients' Rights lists what you are owed. Knowing where each right comes from turns a poster on the wall into something you can insist on.
9 min read
Rights and rules
How to get your medical records from a hospital in India
A written request, the right words, and a date. Most refusals are not refusals at all — they are the records department not knowing which file you mean.
9 min read
Rights and rules
Online doctor consultation rules in India, explained
Video, audio or chat — the mode decides what a doctor may prescribe. A plain reading of the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, from the patient's side.
10 min read
General information about how healthcare in India is organised and regulated. Not medical advice, and not for emergencies — call 108. Errors can be reported through the corrections process.