The state government is eager to tie up with more numbers of private hospitals across Bengal to implement 'Shishu Sathi Scheme', a brain child of Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.
The purpose is to ensure that maximum number of patients can get the benefits of the project started by the present government around 4 years ago. After coming to power, Banerjee had promised free treatment to children requiring heart surgeries, irrespective of how rich or poor their parents are. The Health department has felt the need to enhance partnership with more private super/multi super speciality hospitals to maximise the benefits of the new project. The scheme covers children aged between 0-18 years from both rural and urban areas. The government bears the cost of the surgeries conducted on the patients under the 'Shishu Sathi Scheme'.
In the initial level, the state government joined hands with three private hospitals and government hospitals to provide free paediatric cardiac surgery to 3,000 children each year under the 'Shishu Saathi Scheme'. The government also decided to bear all expenses for the treatments of any student needing surgery for cardiac ailments. It was the Bengal government which had taken initiative to conduct medical tests under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram in state-run schools. The state Health department has instructed to conduct screening at various schools in all the blocks to detect the children suffering from heart diseases.
If a patient is found to be suffering from heart ailments, his/her family members have to apply to the state Health department through the district health office.
Private hospitals like BM Birla Heart Research Centre and RN Tagore Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata and Mission Hospital in Durgapur started the free heart surgeries under this scheme. SSKM Hospital, BC Roy Memorial Hospital for Children and R G Kar Medical College and Hospital are some of the government hospitals that had started the free operations.
The scheme would be governed by an agreement signed by the private hospitals or organisations through a clearly defined and transparent selection process by the Health department. The agreement would be valid initially for a period of two years which may be renewable on the basis of the performance of the private hospitals. The state government is welcoming the Expression on Interest (EOI) from the private hospitals each interested to implement the state government's scheme.