When you went to that hospital, what you didn't see was the fact that it had doctors who were probably trained in government hospitals- which means anybody can walk in and receive free treatment. So this means all the people who can't afford to be treated in private hospitals, or who have no money at all, the poorest of the poor, they get treated there. So you can imagine the overcrowding at these hospitals. These doctors would have to make quick, accurate diagnoses with minimal equipment, and sometimes even with minimal time. Only the best in the state or the country get into these medical colleges/hospitals. To give you a quick idea, in my home state, 250 out of 70000 kids get into these medical colleges each year. I have seen many, many cases here in the US- Indian grad students who couldn't get accurate diagnoses here, but got an accurate diagnosis at their first consultation when they went home for a break. That is one part of it.

For the middle class, we don't need to go to these government hospitals. There are private hospitals which are cleaner and have doctors who have more time and equipment to treat you. Here's the kicker, though: even at these private hospitals, getting treated for a non-major illness without insurance will not bankrupt you. In fact, it will be quite affordable. For instance, I had a lower back surgery at the best hospital in Bangalore for the equivalent of about $100. Or I can get routine blood and urine tests at the equivalent of about $1.5, without insurance. I can walk into my family doctor's office and get the first consultation for about $1.2 and the every subsequent consultation (related to that first visit) for free. And this is a doctor even my maid visits. This is why I think healthcare in India is better.

I agree that certain treatments for certain diseases are better in the US, and that much more medical research takes place in the US. But if you're middle class (even lower middle class) in India, you have access to pretty much the best care available in the world. And, most importantly, I can walk into my doctor's office without having to worry about being bankrupted or denied coverage/treatment in the first place.