'Average length of stay' at hospitals are becoming shorter by the day

'Every hospital now tracks length of stay closely. We cannot keep on increasing the critical care beds,' says Dr Bishnu Panigrahi, group head, medical strategy and operations, Fortis Healthcare

Sutapa Ghosh, 74, was discharged from a Mumbai hospital on the fourth day of her knee-joint replacement surgery for both knees.

The patient was mobilised (made to walk) a day after her surgical procedure.

Now a month later, Ghosh is able to walk without a stick, and is taking a flight of stairs.

“Getting to eat home-cooked food so soon was such a relief,” said Ghosh, sporting a smile. “Pain management is much better than what I had expected,” she said.

She was delaying her surgery for fear of pain.

Many patients like Ghosh are getting discharged sooner than ever