Gastro-intestinal or digestive system consists of food pipe (oesophagus), stomach, intestines, liver and pancreas. It is responsible for intake of food and absorption of various nutrients from the food for effective functioning of the body. Normal function of digestion and absorption is important to maintain health and vitality. Modern lifestyle habits like intake of junk food and processed foods, day to day stress, sedentary lifestyle, demands of work place like long hours of work and night shifts leading to erratic eating timings have lead to a sudden increase in diseases affecting the digestive system.
Diseases affecting the digestive system can vary from simple infections like loose motions (diarrhoea), worm infestations and jaundice or acute problems like appendicitis, gall bladder stones etc. Modern day lifestyle problems of constipation, irritable bowel and nutritional deficiencies are also on the rise. Long term complications of alcohol intake leading to liver damage like cirrhosis or pancreatitis and serious diseases like cancers of stomach, liver and pancreas are also becoming common now.
The following points should be kept in mind while selecting a good gastroenterology hospital or clinic:
- Minor stomach ailments like gastro-enteritis, hepatitis can be managed at OPD of qualified gastroenterologists. One should look for a multi-speciality hospital in the event of acute pain abdomen, chronic liver diseases, pancreatitis, requirement of surgery, long standing childhood diarrhoeas or indigestion.
- The choice of centre or hospital may be limited in emergency situations where the closest and easily accessible hospital is best.
- The hospital should have national and international accreditations like JCI, NABH and ISO.
- The hospital or dedicated gastrointestinal and liver centre should have 24 hours emergency ambulance services with 24 hours helpline.
- It should have a qualified team of doctors, gastroenterologists, gastro surgeons, hepatologists, liver transplant surgeons, oncologists (doctors dealing with cancer surgeries), paediatric gastroenterologists supported by qualified general physicians, endocrinologists especially for diabetes, heart specialists in particular. The hospital should provide necessary qualification, work experience and areas of excellence of all doctors working in it on its information portal like website.
- The hospital or centre should be equipped with “state of the art” equipments which can be judged by the following features offered:
- Upper GI Endoscopy, Colonoscopy
- ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography)
- Sclerotherapy and band ligation of varices
- Oesophageal dilations
- Balloon treatment for Achalasia cardia.
- Extraction of stone from CBD.
- Stenting of CBD and pancreatic ducts
- Endoscopy for various surgeries for example advanced laparoscopic surgery like colorectal surgery, GI cancer surgery and bariatric surgery.
- Liver transplant clinic
- The hospital should have necessary supportive departments eg. Radiology and nuclear medicine department for Ultrasound, CT Scan (64 slice multi-detector CT scan) and MRI (3 Tesla MR scan) along with department of biochemistry, microbiology and haematology, transfusion medicine and department of internal medicine.
- Hospital should follow standard quality and safety guidelines and claim to have a good nurse-patient ratio of 2:1 or 3:1.
- It is always good to check the information regarding number of procedures performed monthly or annually and their success rate of the hospital.
- The centre or hospital may have received a national or international excellence award which is an additional plus point.
- Other aspects to be looked into are; the reputation of particular centre or hospital amongst general physicians, referring doctors, other known patients. Experience of patients and their attendants with regards to cleanliness of hospital, empathy of nursing and technical staff and helpfulness of support staff like receptionists besides the cost experience is often valuable.
- Finally, choice would depend on the health insurance cover opted for and if the hospital is empanelled for the procedure.