Malda: Surveillance team to keep tab on agents luring patients from govt health facilities to private ones

In an initiative to look into the matter of patients shown absconding from Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH,) the district surveillance team is keeping a watch on agents responsible for this. The names of these patients are being matched with those patients admitted to nearby nursing homes on those or nearby dates. Both Chanchal Super Specialty Hospital and MMCH are under the scanner of the team.

This team is visiting private nursing homes also. In 2022, with the help of this team the district administration had levied fines on different private health care service providers amounting to more than Rs 43 lakh in 17 cases, on the basis of irregularities or malpractices.

Nitin Singhania, District Magistrate Malda, said: “From the absconding patients we got a hunch that they might be lured to some nursing homes by some agents. So, we have begun to track these names minutely. If any agent or anyone from the hospital is found to lure them to private medical facilities, we will take stringent action against them under the Clinical Establishment Act.”

The team comprises of the Nodal officer of Swasthya Sathi, a drug inspector, an official from fire department, a doctor referred by the chief medical officer of health (CMOH) and one from pollution control board.

This team has so far visited more than 50 nursing homes in a year and taken action against 17. In two cases complaints were lodged with the police and in the remaining cases the concerned nursing homes were fined.

In those two cases, one nursing home in Kaliachak was found to run without any license or required permission.

In the other case in English Bazar, a person having no medical degree at all was nabbed from an operation theater, posing as a health worker.