Mamata cracks whip on state hospitals over patient referrals Says hospitals referring cases will be held responsible if anything happens to the referred patient

MP | 22 Nov 2022 | Kolkata: Expressing anguish over the continuing trend of hospitals referring patients, particularly pregnant women, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said: "The referral disease still remains". 

She also asked: "Why was the referral trend not being reduced despite the development of various new infrastructures in various district-level hospitals." 

Heading a review meeting of the Health and Family Welfare department at Nabanna, Banerjee urged senior health department officials to visit state-run healthcare establishments incognito to get the real picture. "If you make a prior announcement of visiting any state-run hospital you will never get the real picture. 

Don't inform about your visit and go as a commoner to get the real picture," she said. Banerjee added that the hospitals referring patients will be held responsible if anything happens to them. 

"Why send a pregnant woman to another hospital? When I formed the government, institution delivery (hospital delivery) was at 65 per cent. Now it has increased to 99 per cent. 

Why should such things happen even now? I don't get it. The person who refers should take responsibility," she said, adding: "The referred pregnant women travel for a few hours to reach the hospitals and in many cases, they are so exhausted that they die before they are taken to the operation theatre." 

State Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, Health Secretary NS Nigam, senior officials of the Health department, members of the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission, veteran medical practitioner Dr Sukumar Mukherjee and renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr Plaban Mukherjee were present at the meeting. 

Banerjee expressed displeasure when the state Chief Secretary said that referral deaths have gone down to 4 per cent from 8 per cent. 

"We will have to bring it down further and ensure that no death takes place due to negligence," she remarked. 

Banerjee directed that a record of how much the state government is spending on patients receiving costly treatment free of cost at the state-run healthcare establishments should be kept. 

"We have upgraded the healthcare system and relatives of patients should know how much money we are spending to make them disease free," she said. 

The suggestion to keep the record came from junior doctors who were present at the meeting. The Chief Minister said by 2025-26, at least 342 Block Public Health Units will be set up and out of these 86 will be functional by 2023. The number of ASHA workers will go up to 73,961 by 2025-26 from 56,918. To combat the pandemic situation in future, six critical care blocks comprising 100 beds will be set up in every district. 

The state government will set up 23 district-integrated public health laboratories in the next five years. The work of seven such labs has started and will be completed by March 2023. Banerjee reiterated that stern action will be taken against healthcare establishments refusing the Swasthya Sathi card.

She said private hospitals "will have to provide emergency service to patients if they forget to bring the card failing which action will be taken against them". 

Veteran doctor Sukumar Mukherjee maintained that a critical care management protocol needs to be formulated as many private hospitals charge for toothpaste and toothbrush when the patient is on life care support. He suggested that rational use of the antibiotic protocol was the need of the hour. 

The Chief Minister said 8.43 crore people from 2.40 lakh families have enrolled themselves under Swasthya Sathi. She said the state government is committed to providing healthcare facilities free of cost and will not compromise on this front. She also maintained that over the past few years, the number of beds in state-run hospitals has increased by 40,000. 

"41 super-specialty hospitals are currently functioning in the state and another one at Belda will start functioning by December 1," Banerjee maintained. She said that Bengal now has 33 medical colleges. 

"The number of nurse training schools has increased to 499 from 57," the Chief Minister said. She regretted that many doctors wanted to come to this state but finally changed their decision due to the dilly-dally of the Health department and urged the officials to pull up their socks. 

Banerjee on Monday also directed that steps must be taken in order to make arrangements for hosting the 'Ganga Aarti' on the banks of River Hooghly at Babughat, matching up the grandeur of the ritual performed along the ghats in Uttar Pradesh. 

She asked Mayor Firhad Hakim to look into the matter and take necessary action in this regard for executing the plan. She said people should be able to sit by the side of Babughat and witness the magnificence of the 'Ganga Aarti.' 

She also asked the con-cerned authorities to ensure that cleanliness is maintained at Princep Ghat and on both sides of river Hooghly. 

http://www.millenniumpost.in/big-stories/mamata-cracks-whip-on-state-hospitals-over-patient-referrals-499898