State directs pvt hosps to set up Swasthya Sathi desks
Kolkata: State government has directed the private hospital authorities to set up Swasthya Sathi desk at each hospital to provide better health services to the patients.
The private hospitals have also been urged to formulate a standard operating procedure (SoP) to ensure better coordination with the patients and their family members.
A meeting was held at Nabanna on Saturday between the representatives of the private hospitals and the Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay where various aspects relating the Swasthya Sathi scheme were discussed. Health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam, State Home secretary HK Dwivedi, State Finance secretary
Manoj Pant were also present in the meeting.
It was learnt that the Chief Secretary during the meeting suggested that an expert committee should be formed under Aegis of AHEI which will discuss and review issues
related to Swasthya Sathi from time to time. The private hospitals are learnt to consider the government proposal for setting up an expert committee.
It may be mentioned here that the representatives of the private hospitals urged the top government officials to review the rates which have been fixed by the state government under the scheme.
"We had a fruitful and positive meeting with the top officials of the state government where a number of issues were discussed. We have discussed issues related to enrolment of private hospitals to admit patients under the Swasthya Sathi scheme. The latest meeting was a continuation of the earlier two meetings we had with the senior officials of the health department," said Rupak Barua, President of
Association of Hospitals of Eastern India. It may be mentioned here that the state health department had already urged the private hospitals that no patients with Swasthya Sathi cards are not denied admission.
There were some instances in the past where some private hospitals were accused of denying treatment to the patients having Swasthya Sathi cards. After the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the scheme for the entire population of the state.
The pressure on the private hospitals will be multiplied following the latest announcement. The private hospitals have sought a restructuring of rates set by the government.
