Last week I was working on a health-related story that required me to visit several hospitals in the city. They were, as expected, overflowing with sick patients, all thanks to the mosquito menace that Bangalore has been crying about.  

I happened to visit both public and private hospitals. The rich-poor divide is so blatantly clear at these hospitals. At the private hospitals it wasn’t so bad. Waiting rooms were packed, they were clean, and it all looked ok. 

It’s the government hospitals that are a sight. People lying on the floor, spitting in corners, broken chairs, wailing babies. It’s not the best scene.  

And then you enter the Medical Superintendent’s office and it’s another world. Air conditioned room, huge sofa set, freshly made coffee, everything’s perfect. All this, while people outside are waiting long hours to see a doctor.  

How does a Medical Superintendent of a government hospital get this posh and luxurious room to himself while the sick people are left to lie on the floor? 

And a BBMP official complains that most people go to private hospitals instead of government ones because they think they won’t get proper treatment.

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