Private Hospitals vs Public Hospitals
Technically speaking, the difference between private hospitals and public hospitals lies with the governance of the hospital. The services provided in a private and a public hospital are more or less the same. But, in a customer’s point of view, or for that matter, in a patient’s point of view, the main difference between private hospitals and public hospitals is the facilities and the care given to a patient. Of course, it cannot be denied that the extra facilities and care come at a cost. Let us delve more about the differences between private hospitals and public hospitals and the causes for the differences in a bit more detail here.
What is a Private Hospital?
A private hospital is one which is owned and governed by a person or many people who are managing the whole finances on their own. Not just finances, even the whole funds process and the administration, staff, all the doctors, everything is under control of that private body. It has been seen that most of the people go for private hospitals and they prefer them over any other option. This might be due to the facilities provided and the perception that all the equipment used are reliable, of good quality, and better. However, the fact of private hospitals being much more expensive and costly can also not be denied. The number of facilities and the kind of individual care and attention given to the patient in a private hospital is undeniable. These little yet highly paying services provided in a private hospital makes it the first choice for any patient who can afford the price. Since no one wants to risk their lives and get into more trouble caused by even the slightest of negligence on the part of treatment, private hospitals remain to be popular.
Hobart Private Hospital
What is a Public Hospital?
A public hospital, on the other hand, is completely and entirely run by the government’s funding and money. Everything from the construction to the fees of the doctors to the equipment, medicines are based on the government budget. Hence, each and every single thing is being taken care of by the local government body. A public hospital is considered to be a preferable option for the not-so-rich lot of people who, despite acute illness, cannot afford the heavy fees of a private hospital. It is very ironical to see that a hospital that is governed by the government, which has obviously more funds than a group of people or one person alone, does not offer that level of service that can be counted on in most of the times. However, this can be due to the fact that a government has a limited budget allocation to health care as it has many things in its hands such as defense, education, economy, etc.
Government General Hospital, Chennai
What is the difference between Private Hospitals and Public Hospitals?
• The prime difference between a private hospital and a public hospital is the ownership. A private hospital is one which is owned and governed by a person or many people who are managing the whole finances on their own. A public hospital, on the other hand, is completely and entirely run on the government’s funding and money.
• The fees of a private hospital are higher than that of a public hospital. It should be noted that most of the time public hospitals offer their services free of charge or for reduced rates.
• In a public hospital, since the services are mostly free, waiting time is longer. For some operations patients have to wait for years until they get their place. In a private hospital, waiting time is less. If you have money, you can get you operation done very quickly.
• Private hospitals have the most modern equipment and the equipment last longer too. Public hospitals have good equipment, but due to the extreme use they can get damaged more often than those in a private hospital.
• Number of patients per doctor is higher in public hospitals. It is not good as the attention is too much divided. It is also exhausting for the doctor.
• Since private hospitals are a kind of a business they earn a profit like any other business. However, that is not the case with a public hospital. Governments operate public hospitals for the health of their people, and not to earn a profit.
Images Courtesy:
- Hobart Private Hospital via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
- Government General Hospital, Chennai by CC BY 3.0)
