Toll-free number to register plaints against hospitals

All calls to the telephone number 080- 32001111 will be recorded and follow-up action will be initiated in a time-bound manner, Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas told reporters after holding a review meeting of his department here on Tuesday. Suggestion/Complaint boxes would also be placed in all government hospitals, he added.

Ramdas said his department was working towards achieving zero pendency of files in the next six months.  At present, 1,968 files, some dating back to six years, were pending with the department, while 5,189 files had accumulated with the medical education directorate. Legal opinion would be sought on whether out-of-court settlement could be reached on cases pending in courts, he said.

In a move towards decentralisation of functioning of the department, he said he had issued direction to the governing councils of autonomous bodies to take decisions at the earliest on issues requiring their attention. Vacancies of directors in various autonomous institutions will be filled up by November end, he said. The department will also frame common cadre and recruitment rules for all autonomous bodies, he added.

A nodal officer will be appointed in all government hospitals to coordinate with patients who apply for medical reimbursement under Chief Minister’s Relief Fund or Arogya Kavacha. A corpus fund would soon be started at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology Bangalore for treating  poor patients.