Key points

  • Attendants are the patient's advocate, companion and practical support. It is demanding work.
  • Keep a single folder of documents and a written list of questions for the doctors.
  • Plan rest and share the role if you can.

In India, a family member usually stays close to a patient throughout a hospital stay. Attendants keep the patient company, talk to the doctors and nurses, handle paperwork and payments, and keep the rest of the family informed. When treatment is in another city, they do all of this away from home.

Before you travel

  • Agree who will be the main attendant and who can take over if needed.
  • Collect the patient’s identity documents, medical records, insurance details and a list of medicines. See organising medical records.
  • Ask the hospital how many attendants can stay and where. The guide to where to stay near the hospital helps with planning.
  • Arrange leave from work and cover for responsibilities at home for longer than you expect.

What to bring

  • Comfortable clothes and footwear for long days in hospital
  • A phone charger, a power bank and a notebook
  • Your own regular medicines
  • A copy of every document in the patient’s folder
  • Some cash in addition to cards

During the hospital stay

Keep a written list of questions for the doctors’ rounds, and write down the answers. Rounds are often brief.

Know who is who. Learn the name of the consultant responsible, the ward nurse in charge and the hospital’s patient-relations or international desk.

Keep receipts and bills together. You will need them for insurance and for checking the final bill against the estimate. See understanding hospital treatment estimates.

Update the family at set times. One message at the same time each day saves dozens of calls.

Looking after yourself

Attendants often stop sleeping and eating properly. Take breaks, eat regular meals and sleep in a proper bed when you can. If another family member can take over for a day or two, accept the help.

How a coordinator helps

A coordinator takes on much of the practical work: appointments, accommodation, transport, communication with the hospital desk and updates to family elsewhere. That leaves the attendant free to focus on the patient. Read about treatment in another Indian city.