A hospital as a health care organization has been defined in varied terms as an institution involved in preventive, curative/ameliorative, palliative or rehabilitative services. However, the definition given by WHO is quite exhaustive and exclusive, in which it is defined as, ‘an integral part of the medical and social organization which is to provide for the population complete health care, both curative and preventive; and whose outpatient services reach out into the family in its home environment. A hospital is meant to treat patients suffering from various ailments. Doctors with their dedicated spirit serve the nation at large by providing medication and treatment for eradication of diseases, which exchange health and add suffering to humanity. Normally a teaching facilities or college is associated with a hospital.
Indian healthcare delivery system is categorised into two major components - public and private. The Government, i.e. public healthcare system comprises limited secondary and tertiary care institutions in key cities and focuses on providing basic healthcare facilities in the form of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in rural areas. The private sector provides majority of secondary, tertiary and quaternary care institutions with a major concentration in metros, tier I and tier II cities. The Indian healthcare industry size was USD 100 b in 2015 while the healthcare sector is expected to expand from USD 160 b in 2017 to USD 280 b by 2020, India lags behind on healthcare outcomes when compared to similar nations.
Few Indian major players are as under:
· Adani Hospitals Mundra Pvt. Ltd.
· Ahalia Healthcare Ltd.
· Alchemist Hospitals Ltd.
· Alps Hospital Ltd.
· Apollo Rajshree Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.
· Asia Healthcare Devp. Ltd.
· Assam Hospitals Ltd.