I recently sat down with an administrator at a reputed hospital in Gurugram to ask for their standard tariff list. His immediate reaction was dismissive: "What are you going to do with that?"
I told him the truth: "I’m going to list it on my website for everyone to see."
His tone flipped instantly. "In that case," he said, "I will provide a special 'discounted' tariff."
That interaction confirms the open secret of Indian healthcare: Pricing is arbitrary. It is often based on your perceived ability to pay, not the cost of care. We compare prices for flights, hotels, and insurance. It is time we did the same for medical procedures.
The 50% Price Gap (The Gurugram Audit) We physically surveyed the Eye Surgery market in Gurugram. The results were startling:
You can save 50% on the exact same procedure just by moving from one hospital to another.
An ICU bed with a Hamilton ventilator can cost ₹1.8L per day at one facility and ₹60K at another—sometimes under the care of the same visiting doctor.
But price isn’t the only metric. Health is complex. A surgeon with a high success rate for Cataracts may have average outcomes for LASIK. The difference often lies in the machinery and the specific sub-specialty support. Until now, this data was hidden.
Why I Turned Whistleblower I am Robin, the founder of HealAssist. I spent years at Policybazaar, seeing how transparency revolutionized insurance. But more importantly, I ran my own hospital for five years.
I have sat on the other side of the desk. I have seen hospitals function less like care centers and more like sales teams. I have watched administrators profile patients in the lobby to decide how much to charge them.
Hospitals denied us their data when we started. They are uncomfortable with transparency. But we are building the power of collective bargaining. We are doing the audits they don’t want you to see.
Enter the "HealAssistant" (Not a Salesperson) Aggregators often become spam machines. We are doing the opposite. We introduced the HealAssistant—a qualified healthcare professional, not a sales agent.
Think of them as your medical advocate.
They are by your side: From admission to discharge.
They know the loopholes: Just as you can ask a restaurant to remove a service charge, a HealAssistant knows which "consumables" and "administrative fees" on your hospital bill are negotiable.
They vet the tech: They ensure the hospital isn’t just affordable, but uses state-of-the-art equipment for your specific condition.
The Revolution Starts in Gurugram We are live. We have mapped the Eye Care landscape in Gurugram, categorizing options by affordability, machine quality, and doctor expertise.
The hospitals didn't want to share these prices. We listed them anyway.
Check the live Eye Care comparison here: https://www.healassist.in/gurugram/user-journey/eye-care
Welcome to the era of Transparent Healthcare.