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Why Are Surgery Costs Rising Rapidly And What Can You Do To Be Financially Secure?

Healthcare in India isn’t just getting better, it’s getting more expensive. A mix of global and local factors is driving up surgical costs. How much do life-saving surgeries such as kidney transplants, cancer/cataract/Hernia surgery, or knee replacement cost today?

Rising Surgery costs

The medical sector is gleaming with cutting-edge technology when it comes to advanced medicare, from robotic arms, AI-assisted scans, personalised cancer treatments, etc. However, beneath such advanced medical technology is a shift that is heavy for patients: the cost of going to the surgery ward is rising faster than most of us can keep up with.

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And it’s not a small bump, the numbers are quite high.

According to a recent Policybazaar analysis of medical cost trends from 2013 to 2015, the cost of several surgeries has shot up by over 250 to 300 per cent. This is not for those rare, complicated procedures but some everyday surgeries, even those which are needed to save lives or restore quality of life. Such surgeries too now come with a price tag that can make most financially stable families flinch.

Let’s look at cancer surgery, a critical and often unavoidable procedure. In 2013, it cost around Rs 13.5 lakh. Fast forward to 2024, that figure is now Rs 50.8 lakh. This is nearly four times higher in just over a decade.

Even a Kidney transplant is Rs 18.2 lakh today, up from Rs 5 lakh in 2013.

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And it’s not just big-ticket procedures. A simple cataract surgery, which cost just Rs 35,000 in 2016, now averages over Rs 1.2 lakh. Appendectomies, hernia repairs, knee replacements — they’ve all doubled or tripled in cost over the last few years.

Here’s a snapshot of what some common surgeries look like now:

Recent surge in surgery costs
Recent surge in surgery costs

Why Are These Costs Climbing So Fast?

Healthcare in India isn’t just getting better, it’s getting more expensive. A mix of global and local factors are driving up surgical costs:

  • Medical inflation has consistently outpaced general inflation. So even if your salary is growing, it probably isn't growing fast enough to keep up.

  • Imported tech and tools used in modern surgeries, from robotic arms to precision implants, are expensive, and with currency fluctuations and duties, those costs get passed on to the patient.

  • Premium private hospitals, with their hotel-like rooms, advanced infrastructure, and top-tier specialists, command a premium. Even if you aren’t opting for luxury, your final bill might still reflect it.

  • Demand is rising. As India’s population ages, more people need joint replacements, cataract surgeries, and angioplasties. But the infrastructure hasn’t kept pace, meaning demand is high, and costs follow suit.

  • Lifestyle diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are now alarmingly common. With 1 in 4 deaths in India now linked to cardiovascular issues, critical surgeries are no longer rare events, they’re increasingly routine.

Also, it seems that the more medical science advances, the more unaffordable it becomes for the average person.

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What Can You Do?

The one real buffer against this medical tsunami? Health insurance.

Not the Rs 3-5 lakh plans that used to work a decade ago. Today, those will barely cover one day in the ICU after a major surgery. In 2024, for instance, a heart transplant costs Rs 34 lakh, and that is without accounting for pre-and postoperative care.

If you think Rs 1 crore in health coverage sounds excessive, think again. It might just be the floor, not the ceiling.

Let’s break it down:

A Rs 1 crore family floater health plan for two adults aged 35 in Delhi can cost just Rs 2,000–2,500 per month.

Annually, that’s roughly between Rs 24,000 - Rs 30,000.

Moreover, this is not just about hospitalisation. Many premium plans now cover OPD visits, mental health care, home treatment, and even second opinions, the kind of benefits that used to be considered luxuries.

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As surgery costs climb, whether it's Rs 1.5 lakh for an appendectomy or Rs 50 lakh for cancer treatment, the only thing standing between your family and financial distress might be that insurance policy you keep putting off.

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