Firhad Hakim asks private hospitals not to refuse treatment to patients with Swasthya Sathi cards

Kolkata: Firhad Hakim, Chairman Board of Administrators, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, asked the authorities of private hospitals in the city to not refuse treatment to patients having Swasthya Sathi cards. Hakim held a meeting with all private hospital authorities in the city along with senior officials of KMC.

A preliminary draft of the new rates for treatment packages under Swasthya Sathi scheme has been prepared on Saturday in a meeting of the committee that has been framed for the same.

The four-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay also comprises Home Secretary HK Dwivedi, Finance Secretary Manoj Pant and Health Secretary NS Nigam. The meeting on Saturday was held at Nabanna.

Some of the well-known super-specialty hospitals in the city are planning to designate a separate ward for patients with Swasthya Sathi cards. They feel such an initiative will ensure better patient management.

"Some of the hospital authorities have proposed benchmarking of the health facilities depending upon the criticality and seriousness of a patient. They have proposed that only patients who need special intervention should be treated at a specific category of hospitals (super speciality A grade type) while those who need minor intervention might be treated at a hospital of lower grade. I have advised them to work out this matter among themselves, but ensure that no patient with a Swasthya Sathi card remains unattended," said Hakim.

An official of the Health department, who attended the meeting, said patients from different districts depend upon the city hospitals for better treatment so streamlining these hospitals is of utmost importance. Hakim said within a few days all private hospitals, which are presently out of the ambit of Swasthya Sathi, would also be brought under its aegis.