Sick Business

A gripping expose of the murky underbelly of the Indian healthcare system

95 per cent of healthcare facilities have less than five workers

30 million people are pushed into poverty by healthcare costs

9 lakh C-sections are preventable

7.04 lakh children under the age of five die of pneumonia and diarrhoea every year

For Dr Sumanth C. Raman, the numbers don't lie. Decades of witnessing the inner workings of India's healthcare industry first-hand have given him ample reason to question and challenge it.

In Sick Business, through personal accounts of patients, interviews with doctors and other medical professionals, and numerous reports, he unveils a chilling portrait of a healthcare system marred by vested interests, shady research, lax State intent, questionable ethics and general disarray. Overburdened public hospitals, expensive private healthcare, a rampant culture of quacks, the nexus between big pharma and doctors, a silent epidemic of surgeries and over-diagnosis-the book deals with such burning topics and more as it uncovers the truth behind the pristine façade of hospitals and the doctors who work within.

Sick Business is a clarion call for reform and change. A gripping expose, in the end the book equips you with some real answers and the tough questions you need to ask when your family's health-and perhaps your own-is at stake.