Tier-2 cities emerging as centres of tertiary care with modern superspeciality hospitals

The migration of patients from India’s tier-2,3 cities to major metropolises to avail better healthcare facilities is a common phenomenon. With gradual decline in Covid cases, patients who have been earlier putting off surgeries due to Covid fear are now stepping out due to which elective surgeries and non-Covid medical procedures are gathering pace. As movement restrictions and chances of a possible third wave are still present, patients in smaller cities are looking for modern and affordable tertiary healthcare. Today, when the need for tertiary healthcare facilities is at an all-time high, tier-2 cities like Patna with modern superspeciality hospitals are fast-emerging as nerve centres for patients from Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Assam, Nepal, etc., with modern and economically viable facilities.

“Medical facilities in Bihar till the eighties were so meagre that heart patients had to go to higher centers like Vellore, Delhi, Kolkata etc in search of better, modern and affordable health facilities. Patients go through humongous ordeals which are often time consuming and become perilous in emergency situations. Such patients who had to earlier migrate to bigger cities now find Heart Hospital Patna as the best option due to its affordability and location,” said Dr Rajan Thakur, chairman and director, Heart Hospital Patna. The hospital has so far served more than 3 lakh patients in Bihar and has also earned the distinction of a leading heart care facility for patients from Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Nepal. It is doing the maximum heart surgeries in the region which is more than any private hospital at most affordable prices.

India currently has the highest number of patients of cardiovascular disease which majorly impacts the productive workforce from 35–65 years. This mortality rate is higher than most ethnic groups including Chinese, Japanese, Americans and Europeans. As per the FICCI report, about 65 million people suffer from diabetes in India and the figure is likely to go up to 109 million by 2035. Superspeciality hospitals in tier 2,3 cities are not only keeping these numbers in check with ultra-modern diagnostic tools but are also playing an important role in reducing the burden on metros. The increasing numbers of heart diseases, hypertension and diabetes at a much younger age has also got people to stop and think about their health and adopt preventive monitoring and that has further resulted in rising demand for tertiary healthcare facilities in tier-2 cities.

“We have performed many angioplasties, pacemaker implantations, bypass surgeries, valve replacement, etc. without compromising on quality treatment. Modern techniques that have been practiced here for many years have earned the trust of patients. Besides sizeable number of bypass surgery, redo bypass surgery , valve replacement, double valve replacement, surgical closures in cardiac surgery unit, we are efficiently doing a large number of double chamber pacemaker implantation, single chamber pacemaker and ICD and CRDT pacemaker implantations in Patna on a monthly basis,” informed Thakur.

The reverse migration brought by the pandemic and the extended work-from-home culture has resulted in a majority of working professionals, students including others moving back to their hometowns. The coronavirus has also highlighted the need and importance of investing in health and well-being. More awareness on benefits of medical insurance policies and health covers have also made medical facilities more affordable and accessible. Now patients are more aware and have more means to avail better medical treatments and modern superspeciality hospitals in tier-2 cities are bridging the gap between their needs and best treatments.