kolkata: The State government has taken up initiatives to further curb ‘unethical profiteering’ by a section of private hospitals by restricting the costs of treatment under various heads at the outpatient department (OPD), Indoor patient department (IPD) and diagnostic charges as well.
A high power expert committee has already been formed recently by the State government. According to sources, there are six administrators in the committee besides renowned doctors. The names of the Director of Health Services and a senior secretary of the state medical council also featured in the committee. The expert committee will work on how to fix bed charges in the private hospitals, OPD, IPD and diagnostic charges. The move aims to check the private hospitals from slapping exorbitant charges thereby giving a relief to the common people.
It was learnt that the costs of treatment may be fixed as per the categories of the private hospitals. West Bengal Health Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has been relentlessly working to ensure the people do not face facilities while availing treatment at the private hospitals. The WBCERC has already issued a series of advisories to private hospitals capping various charges in the private hospitals.
The regulatory commission had been formed by the state government to provide a platform to the people who often face all sorts of problems at private hospitals and nursing homes during the treatment of their patients. Incidentally, the state health department is going to carry out a major crackdown on the private hospitals and nursing homes that are still refusing Swasthya Sathi patients on various pretexts.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee repeatedly has said that all private hospitals have to provide treatment to the patients failing which steps may be taken against them. Sources in the health department said that Swasthya Sathi-related complaints often surface against some of the medium-level private hospitals in the districts. State Health department has taken strong action against 15 to 20 private hospitals in the state stopping the payment of dues relating to Swasthya Sathi over a span of the last 5 to 6 months as these hospitals failed to have a prerequisite infrastructure. The Bengal government spends around Rs 200 crore every month for the payment of Swasthya Sathi dues to private hospitals. The state sees an admission of around 4,500-6,000 patients under
Swasthya Sathi on an average basis every month.