Swasthya Sathi card: State to build software to stop irregularities

MP | 18 July 2023 | Kolkata: The state Health department is all set to develop software which will automatically block Swasthya Sathi cards if irregularities are detected against them for ten times or more and the hospitals involved in the treatment will face stern action. 

The main purpose of the move is to check the drainage of funds that is often happening due to corrupt practices by a section of nursing homes in some of the districts and some of the beneficiaries as well. 

A section of private hospitals and nursing homes has been submitting inflated bills to the state government on account of Swasthya Sathi treatment. They are asking money for the patients who have never been admitted to the patients. In many cases, the diagnostic tests are unnecessarily performed by nursing homes and hospitals which are tagged with Swasthya Sathi bills. 

If any doctors are found to be repeat offenders, they will not be allowed to treat Swasthya Sathi patients. Most of these irregularities are reported from small-level private nursing homes and hospitals in the districts. 

The health department has already formed a district-wise monitoring team to monitor the issue. Around 200 government doctors have been trained who will find irregularities. Health department has recently published a standard operating procedure. 

The nursing homes or small-scale private hospitals who are found to be repeat offenders have been demarcated under categories on the basis of the irregularities they have performed. These private hospitals will have to return the amount paid by the government in case irregularities are proved. 

Data related to these offending nursing homes will automatically get captured in the software and the cards will be blocked if irregularities are spotted 10 times against these cards. State Health department has directed various private hospitals to upload the packages of treatment for the patients who are given treatment under Swasthya Sathi scheme immediately after admission and also their discharge summary on the health department’s portal after the department spotted irregularities in the packages and bills submitted by these hospitals. 

It was also found that many private hospitals and nursing homes are admitting patients under a certain package but they are submitting to the department a different package for the same patients. 

The Health department also found that patients are often admitted under one doctor but they are released by another doctor. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/swasthya-sathi-card-state-to-build-software-to-stop-irregularities-526093