Text system for medical complaints

TT, Siliguri, July 29: The director of health services in Bengal today said the state health department would soon introduce a new mechanism through which patients and their relatives could lodge complaints on medical treatment with senior officials through text messages.

Biswaranjan Sathpathy said the patients could use the text system if their complaints were not solved at the grievance redress cells at the government hospitals.

He today held a meeting with superintendents of all district hospitals in north Bengal over the functioning of the grievance redress cells which had been opened at the instruction of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sathpathy told journalists that the contact numbers of the officials to whom text messages could be sent would be provided to the cells soon.

The department will also install CCTVs at the cells to monitor their functioning.

"We are striving to improve the healthcare in the state-run hospitals. The grievance cells are at a very initial stage of functioning. A senior medical officer of the hospital has been appointed as the nodal officer in each cell and their contact numbers have been put on display at the hospitals," said Sathpathy.

"The nodal officers will not be able to be physically present in the cell to take the complaints of the patients round-the-clock. So, duty hours at the cell have been divided into three shifts and medical officers will take turns in taking charge of the cell. They should try to solve problems of patients at their level and if they are unsuccessful, the issue will be reported to the nodal officer and the hospital superintendent," Sathpathy said.

"However, if the patients are not satisfied with the solution provided by these officials at the district level, they can directly lodge their complaint with state level officials. We also plan to install CCTVs at the cells to monitor their functioning," he added.

Earlier today, the director visited Siliguri district hospital for inspection of the maternity block.

"I visited Siliguri hospital with engineers to check the maternity and childcare services and how the maternity block can be expanded. Space is a constraint and many times, two mothers are kept in one bed. The labour room has only three labour tables for deliveries and that is not enough. We will expand the maternity block to add adequate number of beds," said Sathpathy.