Now, get admitted for bed and buffet

Kochi: Hospitals are increasingly as much about hospitality as health, and to those willing to fork out the right sums, a mouth-watering menu and soothing ambience makes a patient's experience more bed-rest than bedridden.
Gone are the days of the modest thali or kanji and fish curry in a Spartan canteen. Now expect a la carte meal cooked by an expert chef at an executive dining room or a swanky café at a hospital.With eye on medical tourism, hospitals are taking lessons from the hospitality sector and hiring experienced chefs from five-star hotels to work with them.
To cater to different tastes, many hospitals are now serving continental, Indian and Chinese food along with different kinds of diet food. The prices are no longer subsidized but no one seems to be complaining. Besides ambience and taste, some hospitals are even planning to introduce instrumental music in their restaurants to give a soothing effect.
"Hospitals have realized that treatment is not just about medicines. Even as medical facilities remain the backbone, good, healthy and variety food is also important. But unlike in a hotel, here we are in constant touch with the dietician," said KV Sudhan, who left his job with a five-star hotel to form a catering company , Castle and Cook Caterers Limited, that caters to Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi and Kinder Hospital in Cherthala.
In Lissie Hospital, Kochi, they have decided to revamp the "canteen" and introduce a "restaurant" within three months "We will be recruiting the staff in our restaurant from a catering college.Besides Kerala food, we also plan to serve continental food," said a senior official at Lissie hospital.
Explaining the changing attitude of hospitals that is now increasingly focusing on luxury food along with good healthcare, EM Najeeb, executive director, KIMS hospitals said, "We want to ensure quality, hygiene and variety food, as we increasingly promote medical tourism and attract foreign clients. KIMS is recruiting chefs and room service persons in the hospital from hotel management institutes".
As hospitals learn from hospitality industry , hotel management students are now in demand. GOOD AMBIENCE: The cafeteria of a private hospital in Kochi "In a hospital, it is important to have restaurants that have cool and warm ambience. Almost 50% of our staff are hotel management students. There was initial reluctance to join a hospital but now that attitude is changing," said Chandrabhanu B, senior manager-hotel services, Aster MediCity. They have 150 takeaways per day.
Confirming the trend, Munnar Catering College chairman Tissan Thachankary said, "With an already big clientele, most hospitals see an opportunity to increase revenue by offering variety food and ambience. The salary offered by them is almost at par with starred hotels, sometimes even more".