Kolkata: Patients who visit the outpatient and emergency departments of various district and sub-divisional hospitals and require tests like MRI, CT scan, digital X-rays etc. will no longer have to pay money for availing the services.
The state Health department has decided to provide all the diagnostic and pathological tests completely free of cost, which were earlier done at a discounted rate through the private-public partnership (PPP) model at the outdoor and emergency departments of all the district and sub-divisional hospitals across the state.
Various blood tests and other clinical examinations which were done at a discounted rate at the district and sub-divisional hospitals, would be made free. The patients visiting the outpatient departments of these hospitals often require various clinical tests including digital X-ray, CT scan and even MRI. The hospital authorities used to refer them to the fair price diagnostic centres where the patients got their tests done at discounted rates.
As per the Health department's plan, the tests would no longer be done on PPP basis. The state government will bear the entire cost of the scheme instead.
According to a senior Health department official, an order would soon be issued asking the district and sub-divisional hospitals to offer all the diagnostic tests free of cost. The project would initially be implemented at all the government medical colleges, for which an order has already been issued. It would be done in various phases in the districts.
After coming to power, the Mamata Banerjee government started a host of new schemes with an aim to provide better healthcare facilities to the people. Prodded by the Chief Minister, the state Health department introduced fair price medicine shops and diagnostic clinics through the PPP model. It was not only implemented at medical college hospitals, but also in the district and sub-divisional hospitals which cater to a large number of people from the districts, towns and rural areas.
It was the Chief Minister who started an ambitious project to ensure that the patients avail all the healthcare facilities free of cost. It was also announced that high priced drugs, including those of cancer treatment, would also be made free. Some of the paid beds which were still there in various government hospitals and medical colleges, were announced free.
Apart from a few beds at the Woodburn ward of SSKM Hospital, the only state-run super-speciality hospital in the state, the concept of chargeable beds no longer exists. Following the instruction of the Chief Minister, who is also in charge of the Health department, the department announced that patients would no longer be able to pay money for availing the paying beds.
Patients can also avail the free beds at all the hospitals under the 'Swasthya Sathi' scheme.