Charitable hospitals in Maharashtra under lens, govt volunteers to be placed

Mumbai: Charitable hospitals in the state would come under higher scrutiny as the public health department has decided to introduce measures to ensure people from economically weaker sections avail of subsidised treatment facilities better.

The department plans to develop a mobile application and recruit health volunteers who would be deployed at these hospitals to ensure people are aware of their entitlements.
Public health minister Tanaji Sawant held a meeting on Thursday with officials from the Charity Commissioner’s office to discuss complaints of inadequate healthcare services provided to economically poor and weak patients in hospitals that are under the jurisdiction of the Charity Commissioner. Currently, there are more than 400 charitable medical facilities in the state that offer essential health services to the weaker sections. In Mumbai, almost all leading private hospitals come under the charity commissioner.

Sawant suggested taking immediate measures to provide prompt healthcare services to poor patients without any delay or hassle for documentation. During the meeting, it was proposed that Arogya Mitra should be appointed in all charitable hospitals through the administration. These health professionals would serve as a liaison between patients and the hospital administration, presenting any issues or complaints from patients for prompt resolution. It was decided that 467 Arogya Mitra would be appointed to assist patients and their families in navigating the healthcare system across these charitable hospitals in the state. Dr Nitin Ambadekar, director of health services, said that the proposal to recruit Arogya Mitras has already been finalised. “We will soon finalise processes to recruit Arogya Mitras and deploy them in these hospitals,” he said.

Charitable hospitals are under a legal obligation to earmark 10 per cent of the total number of operational beds for indigent patients and provide medical treatment to the indigent patients free of cost, and reserve 10 per cent beds at a concessional rate to the weaker section patients. Hospitals also have to create Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) by crediting two percent of gross billing of all patients (other than indigent and weaker section patients). Ambadekar added that to further increase accessibility to charitable schemes, a mobile app and website would be developed.