- Sanjum Singh Dhaliwal returned to India due to dissatisfaction with US healthcare system
- He compared hand injury treatments, finding India’s process quicker and more affordable
- Dhaliwal faced over two months’ wait in US for a doctor’s appointment for a broken bone
For many Indians, moving abroad, especially to the United States, is often associated with better career prospects and an improved quality of life. But a recent viral video by Sanjum Singh Dhaliwal is challenging that narrative with a very different perspective. Sharing his experience on Instagram, Dhaliwal explained why he chose to return to India despite living in what he described as an otherwise attractive part of the US. His reason was simple: dissatisfaction with the American healthcare system.
In the video, he recounts two similar incidents involving hand injuries, one in India and the other in the US. In India, he says the process was quick, straightforward, and relatively affordable. But in the US, the same situation turned into a complicated and expensive ordeal, involving long wait times, multiple steps, and significantly higher costs.
Dhaliwal claimed he had to wait over two months just to secure a doctor's appointment to get a "broken bone" examined. The delay, combined with the complexity of the system, left him frustrated and questioning the practicality of living there.
"In India, I was treated first and later asked questions. There was no medical stress. But in the US, I was made to wait for over two months to just get an appointment. Ultimately, I looked for a night clinic appointment for three days in a row, and finally, after 10 ten days, I was able to find a doctor who could treat me."
Reflecting on the experience, he argued that healthcare in India is far more accessible, and this realisation ultimately played a major role in his decision to move back home.
Watch the video here:
The video has since gone viral, sparking widespread discussion online. While many users agreed with his criticism of the US healthcare system, others chimed in with their own mixed experiences, offering a broader debate on life abroad versus back home.
One user wrote, "Indians love to bash India more than any other race I know. Sure, it has a million problems but why is it so hard to comprehend that it has advantages over other countries too? In a country of over a billion people, it's amazing how quickly we get to see a Doctor or even undergo a complex surgery. Cheap labour blah blah. Are we trying to normalize paying an arm and a leg just to survive? People are too enamored by the West to see that it comes with its fair share of struggles."
Another said, "Middle class in India will always have a better access to healthcare than middle class in the US."
"Such a paradox, the highest populated country in the world, India can provide better access to healthcare than a developed country that has less than half of what we have," a third wrote.
A fourth added, "I agree bro, I left the U.S for the same reason; I have no idea why the Healthcare is SO expensive not readily available. My friend had to wait for 10 hours in labor and deliver unit, just to get a room, she was 11 cm, 11 CM!!!! when she got the room, and any service, I mean SERIOUSLY!!!!"
