How Much Does an Open Heart Surgery Cost in India?

The human heart, one of the most important organs of the body, is prone to some severe diseases. Let us take a look at the various aspects related to open heart surgery and its costs in India, in this post.

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Cost of an Open Heart/Cardiac Surgery in India?

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the instances of death in India caused by cardiovascular diseases. As per a report by WHO, over 45% of people dying in India are because of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the age group of 40 to 69 years.  CVDs are ailments caused due to blockages and other conditions in the blood vessels and heart. In most cases, these ailments require the patient to go through surgeries including Open heart surgery. This is an advanced and costly surgery that is carried out by opening the chest and reaching the heart to operate.

Let us understand what open heart surgery and open heart surgery cost in India in this post.

Know about an Open Heart Surgery

Most of us know what open heart surgery is? In an open heart surgery the chest of the patient is opened so that the surgeon can reach the heart and operate on it to treat the exact heart condition. This is a critical and complicated surgery where the surgeon spreads the ribs of the patient and cuts the sternum to get the surgery done. Though the surgery is named “Open Heart”, it requires the chest to be opened to reach the heart.

Most of the heart abnormalities, damages and implants are done through this open heart surgery.  Even heart transplant to manage a heart’s normal functioning is done with the help of open heart surgery. Since it is such an important operation, the cost is also equally significant.

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Cost of Open Heart Surgery (ओपन हार्ट सर्जरी का खर्च) in India

CVDs are among the primary reasons for the number of deaths in India and across the globe. Hence, it is very essential to identify and cure CVDs with the help of appropriate medical treatment so that the rate of death caused by CVDs can be restricted.

Further, Open Heart Surgery is a major operation and so the cost of the surgery is high too. In general, in India it might cost between INR 1,50,000  to INR 5,50,000 as per the condition of the heart and the type of open heart surgery.

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Factors that Affect the Cost of Open Heart Surgery in India?

Open heart surgery costs in India can be influenced by many components, including:

• Kind of hospital – The cost of surgery depends on the kind of hospital that you are planning to get the surgery done. If it is a government hospital, the charges may be on the lower side as compared to private hospitals or hospitals run by trusts.
• City of operation – The city you are getting the operation done is another factor to consider. If it is a metro city, the cost will be higher as compared to other cities
• Technology used – The technology being used to get the operation done also influences the cost of the surgery. The advanced the technology, the higher the prices
• Expert Surgeon  – The surgeon and the type of surgery also influences the cost of an open heart surgery. If the surgeon has expertise and is renowned for his skills the surgery may cost higher
• Availing Health Insurance – If you have an insurance plan to take care of the expenses of the surgery, it will be much less a headache as compared to paying on your own

Other factors include:

• Diagnosis of the patient and the degree of the surgery
• Overall fitness of the patient
• Hospital charges, type of room offered and reputation of the hospital

But if you compare the cost of open heart surgeries in India as compared to other western countries, it is much less. In Western countries, the cost of such surgeries are quite high as the income of the people are also equally high.

Nevertheless, to stay financially secure especially during medical emergencies it is important to have comprehensive health insurance which could take care of expensive open heart surgeries as well as expenses of other diseases.

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Is Cardiac Surgery Affordable in India?

Countries with a higher population of low and middle-income people are the worst sufferers when it comes to deaths caused by CVDs.  Similarly, for most average-income people in India, open heart surgery means a huge expense that is beyond their reach. They might have to struggle to arrange for such a huge amount to save the life of their dear ones as the payment exceeds the normal income of middle-class people.

Even small procedures like Coronary Angiography in India costs INR 10,000 which is a huge amount for many. If the surgery is planned in a private hospital, it is far more expensive compared to government-run hospitals. It might range between INR 1.5 to INR 2.5 lakh in case of an open heart surgery done on a minor child. Hence, to save the lives of dear ones, people even sell assets like houses, plots, etc. or take loans to pay off hospital bills.

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Further, lack of access to enough open heart surgery information among people also works as a hindrance. To avoid such a situation, it is very important to have a health insurance plan that covers critical illnesses and saves people from financial disasters.

Tips to Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases

Since CVDs take millions of lives across the globe, it is important to take steps to prevent such diseases by embracing certain changes in our lives like lifestyle and eating habits, stress management etc.

Below are some prevention tips to follow:

• Avoid smoking – One must avoid the intake of tobacco in any form as it damages the blood vessels and the influence the functioning of the heart
• Workout Daily –  If not more, try to get minimum 30 minutes of daily workout to stay fit
• Weight Control – Controlling weight is also important as obesity can pose a huge risk to CVDs and many other health issues such as high BP, high cholesterol and diabetes etc.
• Balanced food – Eating a balanced diet is important to stay away from CVDs. So, include heart-healthy food like lean meats, vegetables and fruits, healthy fats, legumes, low-fat dairy etc.
• Enough Sleep – Getting enough sleep is also an important factor to stay healthy as people with bad sleep habits are more prone to obesity, depression and heart diseases

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To Sum Up

Many consider open heart surgery the same as bypass surgery. However, there are certain distinct differences between open heart surgery and bypass surgery. Be it any surgery, the one thing that is involved is the finance.

Financial instability poses a huge factor in preventing people from getting diagnosed properly and on time, as well as getting appropriate treatment to cure the diseases. It is not just the cost of operation that one needs to take care of but you must also ensure the subsequent expenses like household expenses, paying fees, debts etc. All these get affected if the head earning member of the family goes through a critical disease.

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Thus, to stay away from the financial disaster and to maintain the quality of life even after being diagnosed with a critical disease, you must purchase a comprehensive health insurance plan. Having a sturdy monetary backup in the form of critical health insurance is very important to sail through the fight against critical diseases that might appear suddenly and anytime in life.

 

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