Price of birth
What problem are you solving?:
There is a substantial part of healthcare that is being paid by patient’s cash (dentists, electable surgeries, top up fees for births). This is a new market though and the information is very much disintegrated. Hence patients have difficult time choosing the best services at best price (unlike, say, in groceries). This limits the market’s competition and efficiency and also leads to corruption.
Describe your idea:
To create a site that would centralize information about prices and quality of selected health services (we would recommend starting with Births portal). Feedback on quality would be crowd-sourced from parents with the experience (including photos, e.g.). Prices would for the start be periodically found out by inquiring volunteers, later hopefully sent back by hospitals themselves.
What country will this operate in?: Slovakia
Who are you?:
TI Slovakia is a branch of worldwide anti-corruption watchdog.
Hi Gabriel,
we used to have a very similar site in Hungary a couple of years ago. It was launched – if I remember well – by a father outraged by the attitude of obstetricians. It worked really well until one day it was reported to the authorities who closed it down in protection of the rights of the doctors. I think it is a great idea and serves an important purpose… Good luck,
Marietta
thanks, Marietta! Do you know the exact legal reason for closing the site? Threat of libel lawsuits?
Health is a big business everywhere, no doubt! How is it in Slovakia about a giving birth at home? Is it legal?
The idea is good but I am not sure if it suits the topic of this contest, since the health care is not exclusively in the governance of the state, nowadays I suppose even in Slovakia.