Flying to India to see Dr Bhatti

[raj singh]

Hello Fellows,

So i am done with my FUI and on my second day of recovery in India.I would like to share my experience.

My procedure was scheduled for 24 April and i was told to come a day before for some blood work and consultation.I was given few choices of Hotels and i found one at my own which was really close by.I got to the Hospital on 23rd afternoon and i have to say that the place is built in a remote location which is pretty run down place.It makes you nervous that if you are in the right place.There are some confusing signs and mixed names of the hospital (Darling buds and five rivers).Well i was already feeling like shit as i got caught by a stomach bug and was having cramps and loose motions).

Once you enter the building out of four floors or more only two are finished and rest under construction and a total mess.I waited for half an hr or so to see the doctor and i was told i dont have good donor area and my crown will not be covered which i understand.The doctor seems very tired even i was feeling sick.We did not have conversation or eye contact and he literally finished in five minutes which was bit disappointing.Most of my questions were answered by these techs who almost look underage but they are very courteous and professional.At this point i wanted to get the hell out of there and go to the hotel.

My procedure was done by the doctor which includes cutting your hair, harvesting and making cuts. and plantation.First day harvested from the scalp donor area.Prcedure started at 7.30 and i was told to be there 6.45 but no one was there till 7.15am.

Second day harvesting done from beard and chest .There was a Sikh Doctor who had some sense of humour and he held my hand and i had my first conversation (Sorry i am not used to this kind of customer experience dealing with robots like people) and was told to come next day as well to open the bandage and other paperwork.Most of the staff is very friendly and they are young girls who are fresh out of medical nursing college living around chandigarh.They were soft spoken and hard working

So my transplant looks pretty good and i have minimal pain.Oh by the way on the third day when i went to open the bandage and everything was explained by on of the girls we were told that Dr Bhatti will come and talk to you.He was sitting next to us in his Office and i just wanted to ask him some qyuestions about PRP and therapy etc.We were sitting for more than 45 mts and doctor never came to say even bye or thanks.

At this point i got the picture of the whole system.

overall.

1.Place is run by one man show who obviously cant be every where and with no coordinator the doctor seems overwhelmed.There is only one email and you can not reach doctor.

2.The place is not what the pictures show at all including inside and outside.Its a construction zone.Its on a outer circle of Chandigarh with nothing around.There is construction inside which i am not sure even they are working on it.

3.Dr Bhatti is very good in his work with no peoples skill.

4.If You advertise a place world class you gotta be on top of everything.As in your thoughts you are much better doctor and charge more than others,Your patient deserve better service from you and a clean place.You cant have construction zone in half of your premises and still using your old name in your bags.No courtesy of thanking your patient who flew to you from a different country is not acceptable.

Please feel free to ask more questions and i will answer when i can.

Regards,

Taranvir Singh aka Raj 

 

 

 

 

[paddyirishman]

Thanks for sharing your story. Sorry to hear that you had a poor experience of Darling Buds and Doctor Bhatti. After this poor experience I hope you have a great growth experience of your hair transplant and in the long term you will forget all the negatives. 

What do you mean when you say Dr. Bhatti was tired.?

When you say the doctor was overwhelmed was it only through your emails or did you experience this at the clinic? 

If at the clinic on the day you had your HT did you meet or see other patients on the day?  What was there experience of the clinic and Dr. Bhatti ?

What do you mean when you say you did not have eye contact with the doctor or little conversation and for only 5 minutes. Did you not draw a hairline?. Its hard to understand you didnt make eye contact and you only met for 5 mins.? 

Did you have any dissagreement or conflict with Dr.Bhatti as you say he didn't dpeak to you after surgery or say goodbye or wish you well?

I was under the impression the technicians were not just out of college and were at the clinic for years. Did you meet any technicians that were at the clinic for many years?

If its supposed to be a world class facility was the clinic itself clean and professionaly run or was it just the appearance on the outside. What do you mean about the construction inside?

Where did you wait untill the Technicans arrived to the clinic?  Did you get any explanation why they were late?

Thanks for sharing your experience. 

..........Paddy.........

Te

[Lennney]

10 hours ago, paddyirishman said:

1. What do you mean when you say Dr. Bhatti was tired.?

2. When you say the doctor was overwhelmed was it only through your emails or did you experience this at the clinic? 

3. If at the clinic on the day you had your HT did you meet or see other patients on the day?  What was there experience of the clinic and Dr. Bhatti ?

4. What do you mean when you say you did not have eye contact with the doctor or little conversation and for only 5 minutes. Did you not draw a hairline?. Its hard to understand you didnt make eye contact and you only met for 5 mins.? 

5. Did you have any dissagreement or conflict with Dr.Bhatti as you say he didn't dpeak to you after surgery or say goodbye or wish you well?

6. I was under the impression the technicians were not just out of college and were at the clinic for years. 

7. If its supposed to be a world class facility was the clinic itself clean and professionaly run or was it just the appearance on the outside. What do you mean about the construction inside?

Hey Paddy,

I can input my experience, but it would be nice to hear other perspectives.

1. I don't know if I would call Dr Bhatti animated, but I wouldn't call him tired. He is a soft-spoken person who is concerned with his craft. 

2. I also don't know if I would call him overwhelmed. This is a subjective interpretation which should have a lot of factors to reach the "overwhelmed" conclusion. He did go from procedure to consultation to post-op checkup. I think he's productive, but I don't know if I've seen anything to say he's overwhelmed...

3. In my 4 visits, the busiest day was the 4th day. I was post op, someone else was post op, and someone pre-op was there. I had my post-op care done by techs, and had Dr Bhatti inspect at the end. I see that he has patients daily, but that's a good thing in my opinion. It means he's not sitting on his hands, and it allows him to be objective with his patients (in my opinion). If you struggle to fill the operating rooms, you're more likely to recommend HTs to everyone. If you have a steady flow of business, you can afford to give good counsel, even if it means perspective patients walk away.

4. When I was due for hairline drawing, we very briefly spoke about what I wanted, and I said my concerns of hairline and temples. He measured and Drew the hairline. He gave my so and I plenty of time to consider and even answer all of my questions (why hairlines are never symmetrical, lowering hairline etc). I had the hairline on me for 10 minutes. I took pictures and thought about the hairline overnight. It helped a lot. Of course I had eye contact with bhatti. I think he may remain quiet to help you think. I appreciated feeling like it was only me and my SO in the room. I spoke candidly, and never felt like I was forced to get more or less grafts. Bhatti was letting me decide my hairline, and he only said something when it bordered on unnatural. I appreciated this. The alternative would be a pushy sales pitch for a "here's a one size fits all" hairline.

5. I spoke with Dr Bhatti every day I was there, but most briefly the 3rd of 4 days. It was a post-op cleaning, and he asked if there were any issues or concerns. After I said no, he said it was all healing well, and we scheduled my next appointment. I never felt hostility. I got the sense that he trusts his techs to do their jobs, and he's there to supervise.

6.  My techs were professional, and they were under 35. I don't know if they are recent graduates, but I know they were efficient, didn't have issues, and were very nice. I did see some much older techs, in their 40s, but they did not assist on my op.

7. The darling buds building is a nice building in the middle of nowhere. Best way I can describe it would be to check Google maps. It's a new building. The two floors I used was Dr Bhattis office on the 3rd or 4th floor and the phlebotomy area on the 1st floor. I think the 2nd floor was barren, and does look like your home when you're remodeling it. Having said that, none of the floors you need to be on are "under construction". The floors that you use are very clean (no shoes on operation floor (except the reception and Dr Bhattis office). And the floors you're on are complete and finished.

I think Dr Bhatti said something about expanding capabilities of the office, but I don't remember the specifics, so feel free to ask. I want to say that the building will offer cosmetic surgeries (by other docs) but Bhatti said he will only do HTs, and he himself will be the one to do it.

Hope it helps, let me know what else I can help clarify, or illuminate with my perspective.

[paddyirishman]

Thanks Lenney for your input however I would be more interested in hearing Raj singh response to the questions as thats who done the write up.

Or even the Clinics response to Raj Singh write up. 

.........Paddy........

[California]

Hi Raj,

Thank you for sharing your HT journey so far and thank you for choosing Dr. Bhatti/Darling Buds Clinic for your procedure. I am sure that you must have put in a lot of thought and research into making the selection for your HT Surgeon. After all, that is most the important decision when it comes to hair transplants. I have tried my best to address the issues and concerns that you have raised in your write up. My intention is not to prove you wrong but just provide some clarifications from the Clinic's side. No offense meant to you or anyone else. 
We wish you all the best with your HT results. 

Full disclosure: Dr. Bhatti does wish to expand his business into other surgical streams like Orthopedics, Maxillofacial, Neurosurgery, etc, while focusing on HT only, himself. This is a 2 year project. The ground floor and the top floor of the hospital are dedicated to hair transplants only.
The hospital has a potential total area of 175,000 sq ft of which 20,000 sq ft is devoted to Darling Buds Clinic where Dr. Bhatti is the only doctor associated to our Clinic.
Dr. Bhatti's daughter, who is an MD, has joined his practice and manages the Dermatology Dept of the hospital.
The hospital also has a full diagnostic lab which is run by Dr. Bhatti's wife Dr Amulya Bhatti. It also houses a state of the art PRP lab. 

My responses: 

RAJ: So i am done with my FUI and on my second day of recovery in India.I would like to share my experience.

My procedure was scheduled for 24 April and i was told to come a day before for some blood work and consultation.I was given few choices of Hotels and i found one at my own which was really close by.I got to the Hospital on 23rd afternoon and i have to say that the place is built in a remote location which is pretty run down place.It makes you nervous that if you are in the right place.There are some confusing signs and mixed names of the hospital (Darling buds and five rivers).Well i was already feeling like shit as i got caught by a stomach bug and was having cramps and loose motions).

California: Raj, since you/your family is/are originally from India, I would assume that your expectations would be realistic as far as what many cities in India look like. Also, you would know that the street sign/name systems in India are not comparable to the Western cities. Just to make things more convenient for all of our Patients, we do offer a complimentary pick up from the Chandigarh airport and also pickup/drop off from the Patient's hotel to the Clinic. Not sure what that did not happen in your case. I can understand that since you caught a stomach bug right after reaching there, things might have looked bad from your perspective. Traveling while sick is never fun. I am sorry that you had to go through the HT procedure while you were not feeling well. 

 

RAJ: Once you enter the building out of four floors or more only two are finished and rest under construction and a total mess.I waited for half an hr or so to see the doctor and i was told i dont have good donor area and my crown will not be covered which i understand.The doctor seems very tired even i was feeling sick.We did not have conversation or eye contact and he literally finished in five minutes which was bit disappointing.Most of my questions were answered by these techs who almost look underage but they are very courteous and professional.At this point i wanted to get the hell out of there and go to the hotel.

California: The hospital has a potential total area of 175,000 sq ft of which 20,000 sq ft is devoted to Darling Buds Clinic where Dr. Bhatti is only doctor associated with the HT Clinic. The hospital project is quite big and like any other big construction, it does not look pretty. That said, the HT Clinic does not have any construction going on. Calling it a "total mess" might not be a fair assessment. Regarding the 30 minute wait to see the doctor, that  does not sound excessive to me. I am used to waiting for 30-45 minutes (at least) every time I see a doctor in California Bay Area, under my PPO medical insurance. As is validated by hundreds of Dr. Bhatti Patients, he is a very humble person, easy to talk to and very straight forward. He does not sugar coat. Dr. Bhatti makes it a point to have an open and informal discussion with this Patients during the pre-op consultation. This includes drawing a hairline on the Patient's forehead and asking the Patient to think about the hairline placement, at ease. Also, the donor availability and the realistic expectation are discussed. 
Not sure why you thought that Dr. Bhatti looked tired. Again, I do realize that you were not feeling well yourself. That does make everything look bad. The technicians working in our Clinic are definitely not "under age". They are young females (mostly registered nurses) who have been with the Clinic for many many years. They are knowledgeable, experienced and very good at what they do. 

 

RAJ:My procedure was done by the doctor which includes cutting your hair, harvesting and making cuts. and plantation.First day harvested from the scalp donor area.Prcedure started at 7.30 and i was told to be there 6.45 but no one was there till 7.15am.

California: I do apologize that you had to wait. Have brought this to the Clinic's attention. Again, the norm is that the Clinic driver picks up the Patient from his/her hotel and brings them over to the Clinic. I am sorry if that service was not offered to you. Could be a rare case of mis-communication from our side and if that is the case, we will make sure that it does not happen again.

 

RAJ: Second day harvesting done from beard and chest .There was a Sikh Doctor who had some sense of humour and he held my hand and i had my first conversation (Sorry i am not used to this kind of customer experience dealing with robots like people) and was told to come next day as well to open the bandage and other paperwork.Most of the staff is very friendly and they are young girls who are fresh out of medical nursing college living around chandigarh.They were soft spoken and hard working
California: With all due respect, the teams working at the hospital are very friendly, courteous and professional. The staff at our Clinic is like one happy family. You have said so yourself in your writeup. The "robot like" people comments does contradict that. Last time we checked, we did not have any robots working in our Clinic:)

 

RAJ: So my transplant looks pretty good and i have minimal pain.Oh by the way on the third day when i went to open the bandage and everything was explained by on of the girls we were told that Dr Bhatti will come and talk to you.He was sitting next to us in his Office and i just wanted to ask him some qyuestions about PRP and therapy etc.We were sitting for more than 45 mts and doctor never came to say even bye or thanks.

California: I am happy that your HT looks good. That is the main reason for traveling thousands of miles.....to get a world class HT at fraction of the cost (as compared to the Western countries).
I am sorry that you felt less cared for at our Clinic. Every Patient in our Clinic is a priority and we try our best to make them feel special and well cared for. I am not sure why the Doctor did not come to talk to you. Did you let the staff know that you had specific questions for Dr. Bhatti? Dr. Bhatti does usually make it a point to wish a good bye to the Clients (unless he is tied up in the OT and not able to come out)

 

RAJ: At this point i got the picture of the whole system.

overall.
1.Place is run by one man show who obviously cant be every where and with no coordinator the doctor seems overwhelmed.There is only one email and you can not reach doctor.

California: A "one man show" is true but only as far as the procedure itself is concerned. With the world wide fame that Dr. Bhatti has earned, he could have easily opened franchise clinics all over India, which would have been so lucrative. The reason that he has not done so is becuase he wants to perform each and every procedure himself. Obviously, for the other offices, he would have had to hire other HT doctors to perform the procedures. He chose not to do so. I sincerely believe that that is very good thing for all Dr. Bhatti Patients. Dr. Bhatti responds to each and every email himself. He had offers from his staff to answer the basic questions, but he wants his Patients to have a direct access to him. Always. 

RAJ: 2.The place is not what the pictures show at all including inside and outside.Its a construction zone.Its on a outer circle of Chandigarh with nothing around.There is construction inside which i am not sure even they are working on it.
California: Again, there is work going on on the project but that does not make the entire hospital a construction zone. Construction can look like an eye sore and can cause some inconvenience but we try our best to make sure that our Patients are affected by this as little as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to you or any other Patient. 

RAJ: 3.Dr Bhatti is very good in his work with no peoples skill.
California: Thanks for acknowledging that Dr. Bhattis is good at what he does. That is what matters to most Patients. Regarding the "peoples skill" part, that is a personal assessment/interpretation. Being a Dr. Bhatti Patient myself, I was pleasantly surprised that he did not talk down to me like most "big shot" doctors in India tend to do. He was kind, courteous, sincere and honest and that helped my nerves to calm down.

RAJ: 4.If You advertise a place world class you gotta be on top of everything.As in your thoughts you are much better doctor and charge more than others,Your patient deserve better service from you and a clean place.You cant have construction zone in half of your premises and still using your old name in your bags.No courtesy of thanking your patient who flew to you from a different country is not acceptable.
California: Again, I am sorry that you felt that way. Dr. Bhatti charges more than "others" because he is a way better doctor than the "others" and for most Patients, the Doctors skills, experience and the past patient results are what matters the most. The Clinic is always clean and Dr. Bhatti has a very strict protocol in place when it comes to cleanliness, hygiene, sterlization etc. When I got my procedure done at the Darling Buds Clinic many years ago, I forgot my phone in the OT (they let me carry my phone in there because I wanted to take some pictures). After I changed out of the OT clothes, I realized that I had forgotten my phone in the room and started walking back into the OT. I was stopped by a nurse who told me that I did not have the OT attire on me. I asked her to get my phone for me and she said that she was not dressed for the OT. I got pretty irritated but she would not budge. She said that there was no exception to the protocol that the Clinic had in place. She asked me to wait and called another nurse who was dressed in the OT clothes. Then I got my phone back! I have been in the US for almost 20 years now and have not experienced this level of "strictness" and "adherence to protocol" in any US Clinic or hospital. 
Regarding thanking a Patient before he/she leaves, I never got a thank you from any doctor in my life. On the contrary, I always make it a point to thank my doctor. They do say "bye" to me. Dr. Bhatti does make it a point to say good bye to the Patient's and wish them a safe trip back home whenever he is able to and available to do so. The fact that he was not able to wish you a good bye was definitely not intentional. My apologies that he was not available at that time to do that.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. We are with you through out your HT journey. Always, just a phone call or an email away. 

Best regards,

California

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by California
Typo

[California]

Sharing some pictures of our new Clinic.......Darling Buds India/Dr. Bhatti 

[California]

The PRP Lab is a part of Dr. Bhatti's wife's (Dr. Amulya Bhatti) Amulya Labs and the PRP  that our Clinic prepares is scientifically prepared in the same building. Not just  simple, manual centrifugation, which is common. Hair loss patients like to see their blood being converted to PRP and this instills a higher level of confidence.