Hello and thank you for visiting my web page. If you are visiting this web page, i imagine you are thinking of going to Apollo hospital for medical treatment. I am not going to advise you on whether or not you should go. This web page is purely for informational purposes. The hospital has thousands of patients per year. My experience may or may not be typical. However, i can assure you that this information is 100 percent accurate and i have the documentation to support everything that is said here. After reading my experience, you can decide if you wish to go or not. Yes the name of the web site is called avoid Apollo hospital. That is because if i could turn back the hands of time that is what i wish i would have done. In a nutshell they ruined my life. Here is my story:
I have degenerative disc disease and had an artificial disc replacement back in 2007. The surgery took care of my disc pain but it made my facet pain much worse. For several years i was on pain management, including medications, steroid injections, and Rhizotomy. Some relief was gained from these but not enough. I was told by several doctors that a fusion was an option for me. They could just bypass the artificial disc and stop the painful motion. Apparently this is very a very common occurrence with this procedure. So much so in fact that a lot of surgeons won’t even do this procedure any more. A fusion is considered the gold standard. It has been performed for years with great success. Unfortunately, my insurance company here in the u.S. Would not cover the procedure. At this point having the procedure overseas was the only option for me. There was a story on 60 minutes several years ago that covered this. They showed western people going to Thailand and India for medical treatments. Most of them seemed happy with the care so i decided to explore this option. I wrote server hospitals in India and Thailand and researched them. Also, i was looking at the visa requirements etc. At this point India seemed like a better option for me. First, English is widely spoken. Second, you can stay in the country for up to six months with a tourist visa. Third the cost was less expensive than in Thailand. It seemed ideal to me. I wrote several hospitals and decided on Apollo hospital in new Delhi. The head of neurosurgery at the hospital Dr. Rajendra Prasad evaluated my condition and agreed with the doctors in the u.S. That the best procedure would be a lumbar fusion with instrumentation. I was quoted a price of $8000-$11000 u.S. Dollars. It was all set. I would get my plane ticket and visa and head to new Delhi for the surgery.
I arrived in new Delhi at 1am after an extremely long flight. Somebody from the hospital was supposed to be at the airport with a sign to drive me. Nobody was there. This was a sign from god. They left me stranded outside the airport in the 100 degree Indian heat. After waiting for two hours, i decided to take a taxi to the hospital. At the hospital they could not provide answers as to why nobody was there at the airport. They checked me in the hospital where i got a few hours of sleep. The next morning Dr. Rajendra Prasad met with me and he ordered x-rays-ct-scan, and an MRI. This was standard before any operation. After the films were completed, he met with me for a physical examination. He was concerned that the pain might not be coming from the facet joints. He thought the pain generator might be the SI joint. They are very close together and sometimes it is difficult to tell. In the past that was a concern of mine as well. However, i specifically asked 2 of my doctors if the pain was generated from the SI joint. They both told me no. It was from the facets. There were probably 6 or so injections into this joint over the years and they were positive. The next morning he wanted to give me an injection to diagnosis what the pain generator was. He gave me an injection and asked me how i felt. I told him that i felt pretty good. However, my pain is very minimal in the morning so it is hard to tell. After a night of rest not putting any pressure on the joint, it does not bother me that much. They discharged me that day and he told me that he would evaluate my condition. After a week or so he asked me how i was doing. I told him that my condition had not changed. He asked again if i could come in the hospital for an injection. Another injection was done in the morning. Again, he asked me how i felt. Once again, i told him i feel pretty good. However, the pain is very minimal in the morning so it is hard to tell. Keep in mind they are charging me one thousand dollars for each injection. That is twice what i pay in the u.S. Also, he is just using a temporary numbing medicine. It only lasts a few hours. In the u.S. They use a steroid that gives the patient up to six months of pain relief. Again, Dr. Rejendra Prasad said he would evaluate my condition. A couple of weeks passed and he asked me how i was feeling. Again, i told him that i was the same. He then asked me if i ever had Rhizotomy. I told him yes. About once a year i would have both sides done. He told me that we could get long lasting pain relief and tells exactly where the pain generator was. He gave me a Rhizotomy on my left side in my SI joint. This time they charged me $3500 for the Rhizotomy. That is twice what i pay in the us for both sides. Again, Dr. Rejendra Prasad said he would evaluate me. A couple of weeks later he asked me how i was doing. I told him that i experienced zero pain relief from the Rhizotmy. He stated that maybe he could turn up the intensity on the machine because the first time it wasn’t set so high. At that point i declined. If i would have known how much they where going to charge me for the Rhiztomy, i wouldn’t have had the first one. I am sure they don’t charge nationals anywhere near $3500 for a Rhizotomy. Again, Dr. Rejendra Prasad said he would evaluate my situation. A few weeks pass and i sent him an email. A few days later his secretary sends me a text message stating that my lumbar fusion was scheduled for next Wednesday. At this point i thought that he came to the conclusion that the other doctors had that the lumbar fusion was the procedure i needed. I felt a little bad because i already spent over $6000 to diagnosis what i already knew. Anyway, i was going to have the procedure i needed for pain relief. That made me happy. I met with him on Monday two days before the surgery to finalize everything. He told me that he was not going to do the lumbar fusion that he wanted to do an SI fixation instead. He told me that he was 95 percent sure that the pain generator was coming from the si joints. I didn't understand why but he was the expert and i trusted him. That Wednesday i arrived at the hospital and had the surgery in the afternoon. Basically they placed two screws in each SI joint. I stayed at the hospital a couple of days. This time my bill was almost $10,000.
After a couple of weeks, i decided to go to Thailand for 10 days for a little vacation. While i was there, i met with the head of neurosurgery at a large hospital. I brought my ct-scan and MRI on computer disc. He loaded them on his computer and apparently the disc labeled CT-scan was blank and the one labeled MRI had my CT-scan on it. Anyway i told him my condition and history and he said “why don’t you just have a lumbar fusion”. I told him that i just had SI fixation done and he said “what” and laughed.
I returned to India and met with Dr. Rejendra Prasad one more time before returning to the u.S. He asked me how i was feeling and i told him that there was no change. The surgery he gave me was useless. He then stated if i had the lumbar fusion i would be pain free but there is a chance that it could damage other discs. He also said give it 6 months or so to see how i feel. Before returning to the u.S., I wanted my CT-scan and MRI from the hospital. They stated that they could not find them and would have to send them to me once they found them.
I was home in the u.S. About a month and i still have not received my images from the hospital. I sent them several emails but they did not respond. Dr. Rejendra Prasad wrote me to ask me how i was doing. I told him that there was no change that the surgery was useless. He said give it time. After six months, i wrote him begging for help. I could not tolerate the pain any more and would he please help me. He wrote back and said sure he would help me. He suggested the lumbar fusion i originally went there for. He was sure that would do the trick. You are more than welcome to come back and have this procedure and please bring $12000 with you. Keep in mind that i already paid them over $16000 and that i had no more money. He then wrote me back stating that he would do the operation for free. However, i needed to prove to him that is what is needed. I managed to have my medical file presented to a conference in south America with neurosurgeons from Europe and south America. They agreed that a lumbar fusion was needed. I sent Dr. Rejendra Prasad the email with the evidence. He didn't write back. I wrote the hospital several times. Also, they didn’t write back. When i was considering the hospital, i must have sent them 10 emails and they always responded within 24 hours. However, now that they have my life savings, they won’t respond at all. Here is the recap:
They charged me twice what they quoted me.
They gave me the wrong procedure.
They lost all of my films and won’t replace them or give me a refund.
They won’t respond to any of my emails.
Dr. Rejendra Prasad won’t keep his promise
i am in extreme pain and going to Apollo hospital in new Delhi India was my one and only chance at relief. My life savings is gone and my life is ruined. I still need this operation but do not have the means to get it. In my opinion Dr. Rejendra Prasad is either an incompetent doctor or he is a thief. If your are a foreign patient Apollo hospital will take advantage of you and try to get as much money from you as possible. As i stated in the beginning, i am not telling you what to do, only telling you my story. I wish i would have known about an experience like mine before i went. It would have changed my mind and went to Thailand. Please write me if you have any questions or comments. Clyde51773@hotmail.Com
I have degenerative disc disease and had an artificial disc replacement back in 2007. The surgery took care of my disc pain but it made my facet pain much worse. For several years i was on pain management, including medications, steroid injections, and Rhizotomy. Some relief was gained from these but not enough. I was told by several doctors that a fusion was an option for me. They could just bypass the artificial disc and stop the painful motion. Apparently this is very a very common occurrence with this procedure. So much so in fact that a lot of surgeons won’t even do this procedure any more. A fusion is considered the gold standard. It has been performed for years with great success. Unfortunately, my insurance company here in the u.S. Would not cover the procedure. At this point having the procedure overseas was the only option for me. There was a story on 60 minutes several years ago that covered this. They showed western people going to Thailand and India for medical treatments. Most of them seemed happy with the care so i decided to explore this option. I wrote server hospitals in India and Thailand and researched them. Also, i was looking at the visa requirements etc. At this point India seemed like a better option for me. First, English is widely spoken. Second, you can stay in the country for up to six months with a tourist visa. Third the cost was less expensive than in Thailand. It seemed ideal to me. I wrote several hospitals and decided on Apollo hospital in new Delhi. The head of neurosurgery at the hospital Dr. Rajendra Prasad evaluated my condition and agreed with the doctors in the u.S. That the best procedure would be a lumbar fusion with instrumentation. I was quoted a price of $8000-$11000 u.S. Dollars. It was all set. I would get my plane ticket and visa and head to new Delhi for the surgery.
I arrived in new Delhi at 1am after an extremely long flight. Somebody from the hospital was supposed to be at the airport with a sign to drive me. Nobody was there. This was a sign from god. They left me stranded outside the airport in the 100 degree Indian heat. After waiting for two hours, i decided to take a taxi to the hospital. At the hospital they could not provide answers as to why nobody was there at the airport. They checked me in the hospital where i got a few hours of sleep. The next morning Dr. Rajendra Prasad met with me and he ordered x-rays-ct-scan, and an MRI. This was standard before any operation. After the films were completed, he met with me for a physical examination. He was concerned that the pain might not be coming from the facet joints. He thought the pain generator might be the SI joint. They are very close together and sometimes it is difficult to tell. In the past that was a concern of mine as well. However, i specifically asked 2 of my doctors if the pain was generated from the SI joint. They both told me no. It was from the facets. There were probably 6 or so injections into this joint over the years and they were positive. The next morning he wanted to give me an injection to diagnosis what the pain generator was. He gave me an injection and asked me how i felt. I told him that i felt pretty good. However, my pain is very minimal in the morning so it is hard to tell. After a night of rest not putting any pressure on the joint, it does not bother me that much. They discharged me that day and he told me that he would evaluate my condition. After a week or so he asked me how i was doing. I told him that my condition had not changed. He asked again if i could come in the hospital for an injection. Another injection was done in the morning. Again, he asked me how i felt. Once again, i told him i feel pretty good. However, the pain is very minimal in the morning so it is hard to tell. Keep in mind they are charging me one thousand dollars for each injection. That is twice what i pay in the u.S. Also, he is just using a temporary numbing medicine. It only lasts a few hours. In the u.S. They use a steroid that gives the patient up to six months of pain relief. Again, Dr. Rejendra Prasad said he would evaluate my condition. A couple of weeks passed and he asked me how i was feeling. Again, i told him that i was the same. He then asked me if i ever had Rhizotomy. I told him yes. About once a year i would have both sides done. He told me that we could get long lasting pain relief and tells exactly where the pain generator was. He gave me a Rhizotomy on my left side in my SI joint. This time they charged me $3500 for the Rhizotomy. That is twice what i pay in the us for both sides. Again, Dr. Rejendra Prasad said he would evaluate me. A couple of weeks later he asked me how i was doing. I told him that i experienced zero pain relief from the Rhizotmy. He stated that maybe he could turn up the intensity on the machine because the first time it wasn’t set so high. At that point i declined. If i would have known how much they where going to charge me for the Rhiztomy, i wouldn’t have had the first one. I am sure they don’t charge nationals anywhere near $3500 for a Rhizotomy. Again, Dr. Rejendra Prasad said he would evaluate my situation. A few weeks pass and i sent him an email. A few days later his secretary sends me a text message stating that my lumbar fusion was scheduled for next Wednesday. At this point i thought that he came to the conclusion that the other doctors had that the lumbar fusion was the procedure i needed. I felt a little bad because i already spent over $6000 to diagnosis what i already knew. Anyway, i was going to have the procedure i needed for pain relief. That made me happy. I met with him on Monday two days before the surgery to finalize everything. He told me that he was not going to do the lumbar fusion that he wanted to do an SI fixation instead. He told me that he was 95 percent sure that the pain generator was coming from the si joints. I didn't understand why but he was the expert and i trusted him. That Wednesday i arrived at the hospital and had the surgery in the afternoon. Basically they placed two screws in each SI joint. I stayed at the hospital a couple of days. This time my bill was almost $10,000.
After a couple of weeks, i decided to go to Thailand for 10 days for a little vacation. While i was there, i met with the head of neurosurgery at a large hospital. I brought my ct-scan and MRI on computer disc. He loaded them on his computer and apparently the disc labeled CT-scan was blank and the one labeled MRI had my CT-scan on it. Anyway i told him my condition and history and he said “why don’t you just have a lumbar fusion”. I told him that i just had SI fixation done and he said “what” and laughed.
I returned to India and met with Dr. Rejendra Prasad one more time before returning to the u.S. He asked me how i was feeling and i told him that there was no change. The surgery he gave me was useless. He then stated if i had the lumbar fusion i would be pain free but there is a chance that it could damage other discs. He also said give it 6 months or so to see how i feel. Before returning to the u.S., I wanted my CT-scan and MRI from the hospital. They stated that they could not find them and would have to send them to me once they found them.
I was home in the u.S. About a month and i still have not received my images from the hospital. I sent them several emails but they did not respond. Dr. Rejendra Prasad wrote me to ask me how i was doing. I told him that there was no change that the surgery was useless. He said give it time. After six months, i wrote him begging for help. I could not tolerate the pain any more and would he please help me. He wrote back and said sure he would help me. He suggested the lumbar fusion i originally went there for. He was sure that would do the trick. You are more than welcome to come back and have this procedure and please bring $12000 with you. Keep in mind that i already paid them over $16000 and that i had no more money. He then wrote me back stating that he would do the operation for free. However, i needed to prove to him that is what is needed. I managed to have my medical file presented to a conference in south America with neurosurgeons from Europe and south America. They agreed that a lumbar fusion was needed. I sent Dr. Rejendra Prasad the email with the evidence. He didn't write back. I wrote the hospital several times. Also, they didn’t write back. When i was considering the hospital, i must have sent them 10 emails and they always responded within 24 hours. However, now that they have my life savings, they won’t respond at all. Here is the recap:
They charged me twice what they quoted me.
They gave me the wrong procedure.
They lost all of my films and won’t replace them or give me a refund.
They won’t respond to any of my emails.
Dr. Rejendra Prasad won’t keep his promise
i am in extreme pain and going to Apollo hospital in new Delhi India was my one and only chance at relief. My life savings is gone and my life is ruined. I still need this operation but do not have the means to get it. In my opinion Dr. Rejendra Prasad is either an incompetent doctor or he is a thief. If your are a foreign patient Apollo hospital will take advantage of you and try to get as much money from you as possible. As i stated in the beginning, i am not telling you what to do, only telling you my story. I wish i would have known about an experience like mine before i went. It would have changed my mind and went to Thailand. Please write me if you have any questions or comments. Clyde51773@hotmail.Com