Some other users don't agree with the social work department, regarding AIMS.
Athira Balachandran had to pay in advance for a surgery that failed.
T.Vijayalakshmi paid in advance an amount which is 5 times higher than the care actually delivered.
Vijayakumar needs help to pay for a liver transplant.
Ajimon needs financial help for biliary drainage surgery.
Sindulekha sends an SOS on a google group to seek financial aid for bone marrow surgery.
Ramesh call for help on facebook for his father in law. The amount must be paid in advance.
Alakanada needs monthly help for her medication.
Jithesh Fernandes is a child from a middle class family and yet his parents cannot afford for his liver transplant.
With regard to the "outstanding medical care" S. R. Nathan doesn't agree either.
How come that even middle class families find it hard to afford for healthcare at Amrita hospital? It seems to be difficult for those who are in need but wealthy people are welcomed for cosmetic surgery. Moreover AIMS is engaged in the race to develop medical tourism. S. Sudhindran expects Kerala to "become the liver transplantation capital of the country".
So now healthcare is an entertainment which is worth travelling for and AIMS is expecting to make great benefits out of it. What about the poor and the sick? Well AIMS have partnerships with other institutions. For instance the AAPI-Charitable Foundation Clinic in Cochin pays AIMS to have some of their patients hospitalized. Thus in addition to the donations that it directly collects, AIMS also benefits from the donations of charitable NGOs.
People keep on donating over and over and yet more donations are still needed. What's wrong? AmritaTV goes so far as to broadcasting a very special show. Originally aiming at giving the floor to ordinary citizens, the Ente Vartha series quickly turned into a kind of fundraising reality show. Donate more and more, so that you will have to donate again. How come? An indian renunciate tells us what he has seen :
"When the ashram started Amrita TV under the banner of the AEPL (Amrita Enterprises Pvt Ltd), the money to jump start the program was pooled from the Pharmacy at AIMS. More over, they get large volumes of medicines from Pharmaceutical companies as free samples (in the name of charity) and sell it to the public through the pharmacy. Think about it, an entertainment industry supported by the money from the poor and under privileged. It does not make sense."By commenting an article related to another godman, Ram43 says the same :
"I know their activities very well as one of my close relative worked for her to set up "Amrita" channel. The fraud can be verified if the Government of Kerala or Department of Revenue Intelligence work on it. No, they will not for fear of loosing votes"Does it explains why the donations are never enought to relieve those who are in need?
The fact that AIMS also benefits taxes exemption to import medical items can be an essential asset to be competitive. Despite this bargain, AIMS is more expensive than some other institutions, particularly AIIMS, the All India Institute of Medical Science, created by Jawaharlal Nehru after independence.
AIIMS also provides a hospital, a college and research facilities. These 2 institutions are so alike, except that AIIMS appears to be more transparent than AIMS. Indeed AIIMS looks forward to reduce the costs of surgery. Unlike AIMS, the costs of all its cares are freely available online. AIIMS seems to also be more efficient and popular, at least it is suggested on its wikipedia page :
"Several surveys by The Week and Outlook magazines have named AIIMS the best hospital in India overall, as well as the best in several individual fields such as Cardiology, Neurology, Gastroenterology, Gynaecology and Ophthalmology, ahead of several specialised institutions."
"The hospital has been able to maintain high standards of quality while seeing large numbers of patients (3.5 million in 2006) at very low cost to patients (10 (15¢ US)), many of whom live in extreme poverty"
"As per the AIIMS Citizen's Charter, doctors & staff at AIIMS strive to provide comprehensive, high quality tertiary care services including speciality and super-specialty services to all without consideration of caste, creed, religion, sex, economic status or disability. However, there may be some deficiencies due to extreme patient load and finite resources"AIIMS seems to be an Indian institution, free from any religious bond, contrary to AIMS which mingles with America and Hinduism. AIMS belongs to Her Holiness "charities", Ron Gottsegen is its executive director, it has an agreement to import medical items from the USA, its internet domain name is administrated by Mark Wingard from Santa Fe... AIIMS & AIMS. Why do they have similar names? Is it a coincidence? What is AIMS real aim?
According to a CNN article, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math is supposed to have earned $80 millions in 2006. Less than $20 millions come from foreign donations, therefore the indian donations and various businesses may have brought more than $60 millions! What really unfolds behind the charity curtains?