Clinical Ethics Policy

An eye hospital sits in an awkward position. The patient usually cannot see what the doctor can see, cannot judge whether a procedure is necessary, and is often frightened. That asymmetry is exactly why a written ethics policy matters — and why the commitments below are phrased as things you can check us against, rather than as sentiments.

This policy applies to every MediVision centre, every consultant, every optometrist and every counsellor working under our name.

1. Informed consent means understood, not signed

Consent is a conversation, and the form is only the record of it. Before any procedure, you are entitled to be told, in a language you are comfortable in:

• What is wrong, shown to you on your own scans and images wherever possible.
• What the proposed procedure does, and just as importantly, what it will not fix.
• The realistic risks — not a recited list, but what can actually go wrong in your case given your eye.
• What the alternatives are, including the alternative of doing nothing for now, and what happens if you choose it.
• What it will cost, in writing, before you decide.

You may take the form away, discuss it with your family, and come back. You may withdraw consent at any point before the procedure begins, and it will not affect the care you receive from us afterwards. For patients who cannot consent for themselves — children, or adults who lack capacity — consent is taken from the parent or legal guardian, and the patient's own assent is sought wherever they are old enough or able enough to give it.

2. A second opinion is your right, not a betrayal

If you want another opinion before agreeing to surgery, ask us. We will give you copies of your reports, scans and findings to take with you, without delay, argument or a change in tone. We would rather you were operated on somewhere else with confidence than here with doubt.

This applies equally within our own group. If you would like a different consultant of ours to review your case, that can be arranged and we will not treat it as a complaint.

3. No unnecessary procedures

We do not operate to fill a theatre list. A cataract that is not yet affecting how you live does not need removing this month, and you will be told so and given a review date. A symptom that needs a change of spectacles will not be answered with a laser.

Concretely, this means:

• Surgery is recommended on clinical grounds — how much your vision affects your daily life, and the risk of waiting — not on a schedule.
• Investigations are ordered because the result will change what we do, not to build a bill. If a test would not change the plan, we will say so.
• Premium intraocular lenses, add-on procedures and optional treatments are explained as choices with a price, never presented as medically necessary when they are not.
• Where a condition needs monitoring rather than treatment, you get a monitoring schedule and the specific signs that should bring you back sooner.

4. Transparent pricing

You receive a written, itemised estimate before anything is scheduled: consultation, investigations, the procedure, the lens or implant, hospital stay, medicines and the follow-up visits included. Nothing appears on the final bill that was not on the estimate, unless something clinically unexpected happened during treatment — in which case it is explained to you and to your family at the time, not discovered at discharge.

Where you are using insurance or a government scheme, you are also shown the approved amount and the gap you will pay, in writing, before admission. Where a cheaper option would serve you equally well, we will tell you it exists.

5. Dignity, privacy and time

• You are examined and counselled in privacy. Discussion of your condition does not happen in corridors or within earshot of other patients.
• Nobody is rushed into a decision they cannot afterwards explain to their own family.
• Older patients, patients who cannot read, and patients who are frightened get more time, not less. In our district centres, consultation and counselling are available in Telugu as a matter of course.
• Chaperones are available for any examination on request.
• Care is not varied by a patient's religion, caste, gender, disability, language, nationality or ability to pay. Where a patient cannot afford treatment, we will discuss scheme eligibility and sponsorship rather than simply decline.

6. Honest referral and honest limits

Not every MediVision centre performs every procedure, and no hospital is the right place for every case. When your treatment belongs elsewhere — at another of our centres, or outside our group entirely — we will say so, arrange the appointment, send your records ahead and tell you what to expect. We will not attempt a procedure at a centre that is not properly equipped for it in order to keep the patient.

7. Clinical standards and records

Our protocols follow national standards and our NABH accreditation, which is assessed on site against written evidence rather than self-declared. Surgical outcomes and complications are recorded and reviewed internally. Your records — including operative notes, images and discharge summaries — belong to you, and copies are provided on request without you having to explain why you want them.

8. When we get it wrong

Complications occur in every surgical speciality, including this one. When something goes wrong, our commitment is that you are told promptly and plainly what happened, what it means for your vision, and what we propose to do about it — by the consultant involved, not by an administrator. You will not be managed with silence.

If you believe your care fell short of anything in this policy, raise it with the centre manager, or write to info@medivisioneyecare.com or call +91 90001 80035. Complaints are acknowledged, investigated and answered. Raising one will never affect the care you or your family receive from us.