Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimal access surgery (MAS), bandaid surgery or keyhole surgery is a modern surgical technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions usually 5 to 10 mm as compared to larger incisions needed in traditional surgical procedures. Laparoscopic surgery includes operations within the abdominal or pelvic cavities, whereas keyhole surgery performed on the thoracic or chest cavity is called thoracoscopic surgery.

The Laparoscopic surgery is expensive and beyond the reach of poor and needy. Infact laparoscopic surgery is more important for poor because they need faster recovery.

The WJLS article also makes clear that many hospitals, particularly the hospital who has taken land grom government treat  substantial numbers of low income patients, are having a tough time making it.

But clearly, most community hospitals and major corporate medical centers are well into the black.

The growing data about the wealth of these nonprofit hospitals may kill the golden goose by giving the Government permission to take away or modify their tax status. Just think of the incentive these hospitals would have to provide charity care if they actually paid taxes and could deduct the cost of their services to the uninsured.

But all of this publicity will have another very important effect.

We are about to start the 2010 budget debate as we face a looming Medicare physician fee cut on top of an emerging problem in funding both Medicare and Medicaid in the coming years. The Indian budget calls for Medicare and Medicaid cuts for both hospitals and doctors. The providers respond that it is the Medicare HMOs and their “over payments” that should take the hit.

We are about to see a major “food fight” between hospitals, doctors, and HMOs over whose hide Medicare and Medicaid cuts will come out of. Each of them will be pleading their own version of poverty.

News that the nonprofit hospitals are not so nonprofit comes at exactly the wrong time for them.

Laparoscopy Hospital is India’s largest super speciality Minimal Access Surgery Hospital and the first & only super specialty hospital in India directed by pioneer  Master Minimal Access Surgeon Prof. RK Mishra.  Laparoscopy Hospital is only hospital in India which provide completely free treatment to poor patients apart from the medicine and syringe cost.

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To decrease the impact of high cost of Laparoscopic surgery on the financial status of poor people of developing country, there is a trend toward developing affordable treatment models for complex conditions on a fully modern operation theatre. After coming from UK in 2001, Dr. RK Mishra started drawing blueprints of what he always wanted to do: reach inexpensive surgical care to the poor. This was his dream all through his working years, a dream that was born while traveling through the United Kingdom. Laparoscopy Hospital, New Delhi and World Laparoscopy Hospital, Gurgaon is only instituition in the world which provide free laparoscopic surgery for poor and needy patients. We have done a retrospective study of the initial experience of advanced laparoscopic procedures performed in the Laparoscopy Hospital. Over 6 years, 550 patients underwent free laparoscopic surgery. Data on the nursing postoperative telephone follow-up were available for 100 patients; 62% were successfully contacted. 70% had no complaint.

Free Laparoscopic Surgery is Organized byWorld Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons (WALS and Ravian Pharmaceuticals LTD at LAPAROSCOPY HOSPITAL, 8/10, Tilak Nagar, New Delhi 110 018