The state Health department is chalking out plans to ensure that the benefits of the various health-related schemes taken by the government reach every patient not only in the medical colleges and district hospitals but also in the primary health centres in far off districts.
The department has a plan to set up more stringent mechanism to monitor the delivery of various health services to patients at any state-run hospital and health centre. It would also lay more stress on building awareness among people that most of the health services have been made free of cost for which the state government has been paying crores of rupees to all its establishments be it to the district hospitals or the sub-divisional hospitals or the block-level health units.
The government also has a plan to make the grievance redressal mechanism for patients more streamlined so that a case of medical negligence or any other complaint can directly reach the state Health department.
In some hospitals, people cannot fully enjoy the benefits of various health schemes due to the involvement of touts who function at some places. As a result, people were not always getting the full advantage of the health schemes. The Health department is also committed to stop touts who often demand money from patients in the villages against some health services which they are supposed to get free of cost, whereas, the government is spending crores of money to ensure free health services to all the patients.
Lack of awareness among a section of people has become the biggest challenge for the authorities at various hospitals in providing better healthcare services as people from the villages are still unaware about the schemes.
It has often been seen that the patients are swindled by touts who bring them to the city hospitals from the districts with assurances of better treatment and demand money for treatments which are provided free of cost in all the state-run hospitals. It becomes difficult for the hospital authorities to ensure heath services to these patients in such cases.
It may be mentioned that to stop such unholy practice, the Health department has already introduced a grievance redressal mechanism to ensure better health services to patients visiting various hospitals. In many cases, this mechanism has reduced the number of patients being harassed in the district hospitals. One of the primary objectives of the initiative was to minimise the incidents of patients' transfer to the city's medical colleges and hospitals from the districts.
The department is trying to make the redressal mechanism more effective. The district quality management committee will file a report to the Health department officials on the basis of its observations.
A manager will be there to check the grievances and send them to the Health department for its consideration.
A form will be given to the patients at the district hospitals as well to furnish the details on how long the patients had to wait at the OPD or in indoor departments to consult a doctor. The patients will also have an option to mention whether they were satisfied with the overall performance of the doctors and the hospital staff.