Even though patients find it difficult to get beds in government hospitals in the capital due to overcrowding, several beds meant for patients from the economically weaker section (EWS) are not being used in private hospitals.
Forty per cent beds reserved in private hospitals were lying vacant on Friday. The figure is as per a list maintained by the Delhi government of real-time availability of free beds in select private hospitals – a total of 44 that provide 624 free beds for poor patients.
The hospitals include Max Super Speciality Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, Dharamshila Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in New Ashok Nagar, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre in Tughlakabad, Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital in Vasant Kunj, Saket City Hospital in Saket, Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute in Seikh Sarai, Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket and Primus Super Speciality Hospital in Chanakyapuri.
“Private hospitals that were granted land at concessional rates are required to provide a percentage of their total beds to patients under the EWS category,” says Ashok Agarwal, member of the Delhi High Court-constituted committee for monitoring beds and other medical facilities for EWS patients.
These hospitals have 10 per cent quota for indoor patient department and 25 per cent for outdoor patient department. The data on Friday, however, showed several such beds as unoccupied. In some hospitals, the number of vacant beds ranged between 15 and 30.
According to the Delhi government, Max Shalimar Bagh had 12 beds vacant on Friday, Batra Hospital 35, Max Saket 17, Fortis Vasant Kunj 20, Cygnus Bensups Hospital 14 and nine at R B Seth Jessa Ram Hospital. There are also allegations that several patients were denied treatment by these hospitals, which claim that there were no free beds. “I have received cases where patients were admitted, but the hospital denied free medicines and diagnostic services,” Agarwal adds.
In February, Max Hospital in Patparganj had denied treatment to a critically ill two-day-old child. At that time, 28 out of 40 EWS beds had been lying unoccupied for two days. Agarwal says such beds are left unoccupied as government hospitals fail to monitor the situation. While patients can avail the service on their own, they are more efficiently managed when government hospitals coordinate with the private hospitals. Private hospitals in the city also claim that government hospitals do not refer enough patients to use the services.
EWS patients are referred from government hospitals to private ones based on their income proof, such as Below Poverty Line card, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) or income certificate issued by the sub-divisional Magistrate.
“The EWS patient requiring transfer to a private hospital is identified by the treating doctor or nodal officer of the government hospital. The nodal officer then contacts the nodal officer of the private hospital for free bed request,” Lok Nayak Hospital Medical Superintendent Y K Sarin says.
The treating doctor of the government hospital then discusses the case history, treatment provided and further treatment required by the patient with the nodal officer of the private hospital.
“A special referral centre of government hospitals is managed by a nodal officer, who is either the additional medical Superintendent or the deputy medical superintendent,” Sarin adds.
Patients with income proof can also directly attend the OPD of private hospitals. In cases of emergency, patients can go directly to the emergency department even if they are not carrying any proof of their income. The private hospital also verify the identification of the patient as poor, and maintain records of the patient’s name, disease, facilities provided and details of expenses incurred on treatment.
Most private hospitals have a special referral desk functional round-the-clock managed by a nodal officer.
“The nodal officer’s name, mobile number and email ID are prominently displayed on a board at the main gate of the hospital,” says Amir Hussain, who works with the front desk of Saket City Hospital. All the facilities and treatment provided to paid patients are also provided to EWS patients, he adds.