Odisha: Govt orders crackdown on touts diverting patients to private hospitals

Bhubaneswar: Taking action against the brokers or middlemen who reportedly divert patients from the Out-patient departments of government hospitals to private establishments, the Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department (H&FW) issued a letter on Thursday ordering strict monitoring and crackdown against such agents. 

The letter read, "It has come to notice that some unwanted elements are operating in the premises of high case load Government hospitals, in the guise of helping patients coming from far-flung areas to locate the OPDs."  

Also Read:Odisha: 6 middlemen held for diverting patients from MKCG medical college and hospital

The Health department Commissioner-Cum Secretary Shalin Pandit sent the letter to the Dean/Principal/ Superintendent of all Government Medical College and Hospitals, VIMSAR Burla, PGIMER, and Capital Hospital, as well as all Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers. 

There are many brokers who lure patients to private hospitals by telling them that proper treatment is not available at government hospitals, and they often demand money from the patient's family under the false pretext that free treatment would be made available at private hospitals, reports the Odisha Bytes.  A week back, the Medical Dialogues team had also reported about the arrest of six such fraudulent middlemen from the Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College and Hospital in Odisha for diverting the patients coming there to private hospitals. 

The letter read, "All faculty members, treating doctors, paramedics and other staff of the government hospitals should, therefore, be requested to stay alert and to exercise strict vigil in the matter and take immediate remedial measures upon noticing any such activity in the premises of government hospitals." It said that "the station in charge of the local Police Station may be promptly intimated about the matter for the detention of such elements and initiation of appropriate legal action against them." 

Issuing a warning to government hospital workers involved in such acts, it stated, "If any faculty, treating doctor, paramedic and other staff members of the government hospitals is found operating in connivance with such elements and/or aiding and abetting them, necessary administrative actions may be initiated against them under CCA Rules apart from appropriate legal action." 

Meanwhile, the department has directed the officials to take efforts to install proper signboards in Odia and English starting from the entry point of the hospital so that patients could easily see clear directions/route charts to the location of various OPD Departments. The letter said, "The name of the OPD in Odia and English should be displayed in front of each OPD of different treating departments for knowledge of patients and their relative." 

Also Read:After AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital cracks a whip on presence of Private hospital, lab touts in its premises