Soon, a call centre to make transfer of patients from hospitals easier
The hospital authorities need to furnish the details related to the treatment of the patient whom they are intending to transfer to another hospital. However, a patient whose condition is not stable cannot be transferred .
25 Sep 2017 5:29 PM GMT
Kolkata: In a unique initiative to check unnecessary transfer of patients from one hospital to the other, the state Health department has decided to introduce a call centre to control the transfer of patients.
It was learnt that all the medical colleges in the state and other state-run hospitals have to call up the 24x7 call center and furnish the details. The hospital authorities will have to provide the details on why they are trying to shift a particular patient to another hospital.
The hospital authorities need to furnish the details related to the treatment of the patient whom they are intending to transfer to another hospital. According to a senior Health department official, in case of a transfer, the hospital where the patient had been undergoing treatment must ensure that the patient's condition is stable. A patient, whose condition is not stable, cannot be transferred to another hospital. The doctors must give them treatment in order to make him/her stable.
The hospital authorities would have to explain why they are referring the patient to another hospital. In case of a transfer, the attending doctors must have to inform the matter to the departmental head or the head of the medical institution explaining why it is necessary to transfer the patient to some other hospital.
According to a Health department official, the department would also look into if the hospital where the patient is being transferred has available bed to accommodate a patient.
The steps would be taken to reduce the incidents of unnecessary transfer of patients from one state-run hospital to the other. It was earlier found that hospitals often transfer patients without knowing if the hospital the patient is being transferred to has a vacant bed or not. There were instances where patients had been kept shuttling from one hospital to another.
The state Health department officials believe that the new proposed system would reduce the incidents of patients' transfers from one hospital to the other. Without informing the matter to the Swasthya Bhavan, no patient could be transferred from one hospital to other hospital.
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