The medical care services at cross-roads.

Our hospitals of all types and sizes present a dismal picture and have miserably failed to meet the rising demands of its consumers, in terms of technology, quality, quantity and cost of care. The situation prevailing has been documented in various press reports and cases registered to the consumer forums in the country. The author while presenting the maladies involving the hospitals has made an attempt to analyse the cause and effect relationship of the maladies and suggested remedial measures. More emphasis has been laid on economic use of resources, cost containment, training and motivation of all categories of staff, and introduction of quality management techniques to improve functional efficiency for better output, in terms of quality, quantity, cost of care and consumer satisfaction.