With low OPD footfall, private hospitals struggle to pay salaries

AK Kaushik, who heads a group of hospitals around Varanasi, says he is finding it difficult to pay his staff salaries on time now. Out-patient department (OPD) footfall has stagnated, so have elective procedures. Patients are avoiding hospital visits as much as possible.

“I have a staff of 600 people across my three hospitals in Varanasi, Gopiganj and Mirzapur. I am now finding it difficult to pay their salaries on time with such a huge shortfall in revenues,” Kaushik says.

From OPD to in-patient department (IPD) or admissions, the conversion rate is roughly 10-12 per cent for the industry. With OPDs down,