West Bengal CM orders crackdown on referrals of patients

Kolkata: Annoyed over complaints of the district hospital's continuous referral of patients to other hospitals, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned government doctors to stop the trend, especially with pregnant women and said that action will be taken against the concerned doctor held responsible if a referred patient dies.

She asked Health Secretary NS Nigam to take strict measures as a claim to cure this menace.

"When will you stop referring? Even pregnant women are being referred to other hospitals," Banerjee told doctors present at a meeting to review the state's healthcare system.

Stating that if a patient dies after being referred, the person behind the referral "should be held responsible," Banerjee advocated creating a referral policy in the state with the help of the state health commission.

Also read- West Bengal Plans To Add 650 PG Medical Seats At 17 Institutes

It is frequently alleged that doctors of government hospitals in districts refer patients to facilities in Kolkata.

While answering Banerjee's questions, Nigam said that the number of referring patients in West Bengal has decreased from 8 per cent to 4 per cent. The IAS officer said that "steps are being taken to reduce the problem further".

Banerjee also advised the health secretary to be "strict and tough".

"You (Nigam) are a good officer but very weak. You have to be strong and deal with things strictly when needed. Pay surprise visits to hospitals now and then. Go to fair-price shops (pharmacies). Stand in the common man's queue in disguise," she said.

The CM also expressed her dissatisfaction over allegations that hospitals deny Swasthya Sathi (state health insurance) cards.

She directed the health secretary to cancel the license of private hospitals if they do not accept that cards.

Banerjee said, "By 2023, there will be 7,800 Sushasthya Kendras, up from the current 6,000. The number of MBBS seats has increased from1,355 in 2011 to 4,850, as 600 seats were added this year at the six new medical colleges, which started this year. More seats will be added so that the state can have more doctors and our children can be doctors."

The chief minister also said there were enough doctors, the number has increased from 4,800 to 15,267. The state health recruitment board (SHRB) had recently appointed 1,102 doctors. Banerjee asked SHRB chief Sudipto Roy to complete the recruitment process for the vacant posts to mitigate any shortage, TOI reports.

Also read- Private Kolkata Hospitals Told To Refund Money To Patients