Manipal Hospitals — Local services in Bengaluru

My father 78 years old is an advanced stage 4 liver cirrhosis patient of Dr. Prasanna Batt, renowned hepatologist/liver specialist. We have been visiting thd doctor for several months now, for monthly review of his condition.

I took him to meet the doctor yesterday, since he was complaining of severe pain in the right groin area, which was making it difficult for him to breathe, move, and bend.

The kind doctor listened to his complaint of discomfort and refered us immediately to an ortho specialist Dr. Mallinath, since he suspected a possible hernia.

We met Dr. Mallinath, who listened to his complaint and requested us to get an xray and meet Dr. Jayashankar, a general surgeon with the report.

We took the xray and met with the doctor who qent through his history and examined him in detail. He asked us to take an ultrasound to determine if it was a hernia and also said that he also needs to assess the liver before he gives a diagnosis.

We had lunch and reached the ultrasound area at about 3:15 pm. It was here that our ordeal started. The registration console operated by Ms. Priya was not working, she was not able to approve the request for my transaction. Instead of facilitating and passing my request to the next console immediately, she spent a good 15 minutes humming and hawwing and speaking to support on the phone while I waited in front of her with my dad.

Finally she said that she is not able to approve my transaction request to pay for the ultrasound, gestured to the next counter, locked her cash desk, stood ip and walked away. I went to the next counter, paid an amount of Rs. 844 and got the payment slip.

We went to the next counter, paid and were asked to wait. We waited till 4:15,without being attended to or alloted an ultrasound machine. Despite my several requests that he is feeling increasing pain and discomfort, it was not taken into consideration. Finally we were called to one of the rooms at 4:45 and my father was given the first ultrasound. During the procedure, my father reported that the other two technicians in the room were casually sitting in front of the computer a s discussing about cooking recipes.

The technician came out and tild me that since his bladder wasn't full they have to perform the procedure again, and asked my father to drink more water and have a cup of warm tea as well.

We did that too and waited for two more hours, all the patients who had come for xrays and ultrasound had left by then. We were the last ones left along with an another patient. By now my dad was visibly in pain and very uncomfortable. I went up to Ms. Priya who was manning the room allocation counter, twice in the space of ten minutes and asked her to attend to him immediately to which her response was a mere "I'll take him, ma'am. My father who by now was in unbearable pain, since he had drank 11/2 liters of water and a tea, rent up to her to ask for an update and got the same reply.

He finally said he could not bear it anymore and went to the washroom to receive himself. Ironically it then got the attention of both the ultrasound technician and Ms. Priya who magically appeared out of nowhere and told me that a room was available if we had waited just two more minutes, she would have taken us.

I told her calmly that is what we have been requesting for the past three hours,with no response. I was deeply upset and unhappy with her handling of the situation.

We left and on our way I stopped at the registration counter of Dr. Jayashankar and Dr. Prasanna Batt and told the in charge there about our ordeal and how we were turned away by gross mismanagement. Their surprising response was to go to the emergency if he was in such unbearable severe pain.

Today I am on my way to Manipal emergency Sarjapur road with my 78 year old father and my mother.

Tagging @manipalhospitals, @dr.prassanabatt, @drmallinath, @dr.jayashankar, and @dr.bharath from Manipal hospitals on Sarjapur road. Awaiting...

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A Life-Saving Experience at Manipal Hospital

We are deeply grateful to Manipal Hospital for the exceptional care provided to my mother during an 8-day emergency admission for a critical aortic condition. From the moment the ambulance arrived, everything was handled with precision, compassion, and professionalism.

Special thanks to Mr. Hanumanthu, the ambulance driver, who got us to the hospital safely and swiftly, and to Ms. Bhagya and Dr. Mittal, who kept my mother engaged and calm throughout the journey — keeping her mind occupied and shielding her from unnecessary stress.

Upon arrival, even after her shift ended, Ms. Sumathi V from ICU support ensured our admission was processed smoothly — something we truly appreciated in such a stressful moment. The ICU medical team, led by the god-sent Dr. Devananda N.S. sir, along with Dr. Lalchand Bandagi, Dr. Bhaskar, Dr. Varun, Dr. Devan, Dr. Jyothi, and other doctors and staff, immediately began emergency procedures without delay. Dr. Devananda sir and his highly skilled team performed a life-saving emergency surgery at midnight that lasted over 4 hours — and we cannot thank him enough for giving my mother a second life🙏.

Throughout the ICU stay, Ms. Debasmin, Mr. Ayaan, Ms. Suganya, Ms. Shilpa, and others provided outstanding medical care. Mr. Rajkumar (ICU security) was always warm and reassuring, keeping us updated while we waited outside OT. Also Ms. Bhangaramma from the assisting staff, who was friendly and supportive during the ward transfer process.

On the financial side, Ms. Sumathi and admission desk guided us to Mr. Shivanna C.R. (Patient Care Advisor), who gave us clarity on the treatment costs and supported us as we dealt with cashless insurance issues, thank you very much sir. Heartfelt thanks to the incredible Manipal TPA support team — Mr. Avinash, Mr. Ramesh, Ms. Manjushree, Mr. Akshay, Mr. Satish, Ms. Namratha and others— who were relentless in coordinating documentation and submitting claim reconsideration requests.

Once shifted to the ward, we were looked after by kind-hearted nurses Ms. Chung Chu, Ms. Soni & others, along with the dedicated 'Amma' staff — Mrs. Ashirvadamma, Mrs. Satya, Mrs. Pushpa, Mrs. Lakshmi — who all treated us like family. Physiotherapist Ms. Prinsi offered constant support and motivation, helping my mother regain strength & mobility, while the dietician shared helpful guidance for long-term recovery.

We also thank Ms. Selvi from the Patient Experience Management Team for patiently addressing every concern we had during the stay, and Mr. Lalit from the food services team for ensuring timely delivery of fresh meals daily.

Special thanks to Mr. Rajesh Naik from the Billing dept whose expertise & quick thinking helped us to complete all the billing formalities in just few minutes on our discharge day and he promptly shared all the necessary documents with us.

Even after discharge, Dr. Varun Kumar and Mr. Shivanna remained available for follow-ups and urgent queries. Dr. Varun, in particular, was regularly in touch with Dr. Devananda sir to monitor post-operative progress and kept us informed of any medication changes.

From critical medical treatment to emotional support, our experience at Manipal Hospital has been nothing short of miraculous and deeply humane. Apologies if we've missed anyone’s name — we are grateful to everyone who played a part in her treatment and recovery journey. Thank you all for returning our treasure to us and showing us what true care looks like.

With heartfelt...

Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road (Comprehensive Health Check)

I have been visiting Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, for their Comprehensive Health Check package for the last four years, and unfortunately, my recent experience was quite disappointing — both in terms of service quality and overall value for money.

To begin with, the staff at the health check counter tried to push me toward a more expensive package, claiming it had extra vitamin tests. However, I found that those tests can easily be done elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. Despite being a regular customer for years, I was never informed about the “Neighbourhood Card” that gives a 20% discount. I only learned about it after making the payment — and was told the discount couldn’t be applied retroactively. It’s frustrating that the staff didn’t inform me before billing, which would have saved both money and disappointment.

Tip for others: ask for the neighbourhood discount card before paying, or you’ll be charged full price.

Many items in the package are of little to no practical value. For example:

HC Physical Examination: The doctor simply asks a few routine questions (smoking, exercise, medications, etc.) without any real examination.

HC Dental Consultation: Barely a minute-long glance with no meaningful assessment.

HC Ophthalmology Consultation: Just reading a chart; no detailed eye power check this time, unlike in previous years.

Pure Tone Audiogram: Done in under a minute, with little explanation.

These inclusions seem designed more to inflate the package cost than to provide actual benefit to the patient.

Another serious concern was the lack of experienced staff. It appeared that trainees or freshers were conducting many of the tests, often unsure of procedures. During my ultrasound, two young interns performed the scan while discussing results among themselves, and the senior doctor later laughed, saying the gallstone size reported was “reduced” compared to last year — something medically impossible. I also overheard another patient complaining that his blood group was reported incorrectly and had to be retested. This raises serious doubts about the accuracy and reliability of their reports.

The breakfast and lunch provided with the package were also very basic — limited options, poor quality, and small portions. Report delivery was yet another issue. Unless you are prepared to spend 7–8 hours at the hospital, you’ll likely have to return another day to collect your reports. In my case, I was told the X-ray report wasn’t ready due to a “server issue” and only received it after repeated requests from the consulting doctor.

After doing this package regularly for four years, my conclusion is simple:

If your company covers the cost through corporate tie-ups, it might be acceptable. But if you are paying from your own pocket, it’s not worth it. The test list is bloated with unnecessary items, results are sometimes questionable, and inexperienced staff handle key procedures. You’ll likely get better value and reliability by choosing a reputed diagnostic lab for essential tests and consulting your own doctor afterward.

Manipal seems to be relying more on its brand goodwill than the actual quality of its preventive health services — which has definitely declined...