Health body to take redressal mechanism to doorsteps
Similar to the State government’s “Duare Sarkar” scheme, the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has come up with a unique idea of taking the public grievance redressal mechanism to rural Bengal so that people can avail services at their doorsteps.
WBCERC has been conducting virtual hearings mostly after the pandemic broke out. But the people in the villages face difficulties in accessing the commission’s hearing. As a result, the hearing is organised at the local BDO or SDO office where the villagers join online hearings.
The WBCERC has now decided to go to the remote areas and hold meetings to address public grievances and also to assess the infrastructural issues of various nursing homes and private hospitals in the districts and also to hear if private hospitals are facing any technical issues in providing health services under Swasthya Sathi scheme.
WBCERC Chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee said: “The incidents of Swasthya Sathi refusal significantly dropped in the state.” Justice Banerjee had recently held a meeting with the State Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi regarding the extension of redressal services up to the districts. “There are around 5,500 licenses of private clinical establishments in the state which include pathological labs, and diagnostic centres, besides private nursing homes and hospitals. Around 63 private hospitals are there in Kolkata and its adjoining districts,” Justice Banerjee said.
The WBCERC has divided all the districts into two categories — North Bengal and South Bengal for providing services in a better way. The WBCERC will hold its first meeting at Jhargram on March 2 and 3 with the health officials of every south Bengal district and the officials of the private hospitals in their jurisdiction.
All the Chief Medical Officers of health in the south Bengal districts will attend the meeting. A Swasthya Sathi-related meeting will take place in Malda.“We are going to hold meetings at less known places. Hence we have decided that a Swasthya Sathi-related meeting will be held at Chanchal in Malda on February 7 and 8. A sensitisation programme will be held on February 7, while on the next day, a meeting will be held with the private hospital authorities. North and South Dinajpur officials will also take part in the programme,” Justice Banerjee said.
On February 15 and 16, the commission will organise a similar meeting at Raghunathpur where the health officials and nursing home authorities from Purulia and West Midnapore would take part.
