Day after CM prod, private hosps focus on problem areas – Times of India

Kolkata: Several private hospitals in Kolkata admitted having refused Swasthya Sathi patients “in some cases” and suggested revision of rates and categorization of patients, which they felt, would help them serve more people under the scheme. Health experts pointed out that resource shortage, high enrolment under the scheme—even by people who can afford higher rates—and an increasing number availing the scheme in other states had led to a crisis.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee asked government officials to take tough action against hospitals refusing Swasthya Sathi patients.

Sources in the state health department said about 2.3 crore families were already enrolled under Swasthya Sathi and around 29 lakh patients had benefited from it since its inception in 2016. But of late, the state has been flooded with complaints of Swasthya Sathi patients being turned away by various hospitals. “Swasthya Sathi is a great idea. But it is facing a severe resource scarcity. There is a fallacy in the policy, including the unrealistically low rates and unrestricted enrolment of beneficiaries. The CM is correct about refusals. But we need to understand why they are happening and try to work out ways to prevent it,” said cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar, vice-chairman at Medica.
According to a verbal understanding, private hospitals must keep 10% to 15% of their beds reserved for Swasthya Sathi patients and hospitals claim the occupancy was always above it. The rates fixed for Swasthya Sathi patients are lower by two to four times than general patients, depending on the procedures and treatment. “The number of Swasthya Sathi patients in private hospitals has shot up by four-five times. Now, if hospitals are asked to accommodate all of them in one go, how will we survive, given the rates of this scheme? Moreover, most private hospitals have dues ranging between Rs 5 crore and Rs 15 crore, which are yet to be cleared by the government,” said a CEO of a private hospital. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to accommodate all Swasthya sathi patients, given the rising count of patients. The Association Hospital of Eastern India (AHEI) is yet to get any response to our request for revising the rates,” said Rupak Barua, president of AHEI.
The state has so far spent Rs 87.4 crore on 7,620 patients who had availed of Swasthi Sathi at CMC Vellore. Sources said per-patient expenditure in Kolkata was much lower than what the government had spent for the Chennai hospital. The CM, too, has been telling people to restrict treatment outside Bengal only to facilities available here.