ESWL Cost in New Delhi, India

The cost of ESWL in New Delhi typically ranges from $620 to $6,000 USD (about ₹58,800 to ₹5.69 lakh), depending on the hospital, room category and type of procedure.

A typical estimate for ESWL in New Delhi is around $2,000 (about ₹1.90 lakh). What you pay depends mainly on your own case. If your operation is planned, done by keyhole or a standard method, and you go home after a short stay, your bill is likely to be closer to $620 (about ₹58,800). It is likely to be nearer $6,000 (about ₹5.69 lakh) if you need open or robotic surgery, your condition is more complex, you stay longer or you choose a private room.

When comparing New Delhi packages for ESWL, check whether each quote includes:

• Surgeon and anaesthetist fees
• Operating theatre or procedure room
• Stents or catheters
• Hospital stay and room category
• Medicines and consumables
• Follow-up visits before you fly home

ESWL (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy) breaks kidney or upper ureter stones with shock waves focused through the skin, so the fragments can pass in the urine.

The NHS lists shockwave lithotripsy as one of the main treatments for kidney stones too large to pass, usually smaller stones in the kidney or upper ureter, while very hard or large stones may need ureteroscopy or PCNL.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust explains that treatment lasts about 45 minutes, that the stone is located with X-ray or ultrasound, and that most people go home the same day.

Blood in the urine for up to 72 hours and bruising of the skin are common, and fragments pass over the following days or weeks.

Oxford reports fragments getting stuck in between 1 in 10 and 1 in 50 and severe infection in between 1 in 50 and 1 in 250, and blood thinners usually need stopping beforehand.

Fit-to-fly window: UK aviation guidance gives no specific figure for this procedure, so fly after the surgeon's review and ask about clot prevention for long journeys.

A Delhi estimate for ESWL is usually built from these parts:

• Tests before surgery: blood tests, imaging and an anaesthetic check.
• Operating theatre and anaesthesia: billed largely by time in theatre.
• Surgeon grade: consultant fees vary between hospitals.
• Surgical approach: open, keyhole or robotic, where options exist.
• Stone: size and hardness.
• Sessions: often more than one.
• Imaging: X-ray or ultrasound.
• Pain relief: during treatment.

Check whether the Delhi quote covers the surgeon, theatre, any catheter or stent and its removal, the stay and follow-up tests.

Urology units in Delhi NCR's larger hospitals commonly provide endoscopic stone surgery and laparoscopic operations, and some also offer robotic surgery.

India's national hospital standard is set by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), a constituent board of the Quality Council of India whose standards are accredited by ISQua; you can check a Delhi hospital's current NABH status on the NABH website.

Delhi has a long record with international accreditation: India's first hospital to receive Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, in July 2005, is in New Delhi, and JCI keeps a public list of accredited organisations.

International patients usually arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in south-west Delhi; allow for road travel time, as hospitals are spread across Delhi and the neighbouring NCR cities.