Karnataka govt enlists private hospitals for high-risk pregnancy care

Bengaluru: The state health department is collaborating with private hospitals across all districts to provide advanced care to pregnant women as part of its attempt to reduce the maternal mortality rate to zero.

Karnataka topped the list for the highest maternal mortality rate in South India, with 68 deaths per 1,000 live births. This prompted the government to launch programmes to help reduce the mortality rate.

Speaking to DH, Dr Rajini Nageshrao, Deputy Director, Obstetrics and Immunisation, said, "Most cases at the district level are referred to either Bengaluru or Hubballi for better and advanced treatment. The critical time necessary for saving lives is being sacrificed for commuting.”

To facilitate immediate action, the department has collaborated with private hospitals, she said.

Many private hospitals across the state have refrained from providing the Arogya Bharatha Arogya Karnataka Scheme (AB-Ark) as the payment is subsidised.

The eligibility criteria for private hospitals were that they should be empanelled with the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust and have a minimum of a two-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with ventilatory support, and 24-hour availability of an obstetrician, anaesthetist and critical care specialist.

The government drafted a new payment scale to facilitate collaboration with private hospitals.

The ICU with ventilator facilities will be provided at Rs 7,000 per day at a private hospital, and an ICU facility without a ventilator at Rs 5,700 per day. Other facilities such as blood transfusion and dialysis will be available at an additional cost.

“After consulting the technical committee, we have fixed the package for seven days. If the patient needs more treatment but is stabilised, the person will be sent back to a government facility to continue with the treatment,” said Dr Rajini.

The government has empanelled services to facilitate shifting of patients from government-to-government hospital, government-to-private, private-to-private (both under SAST scheme and accepting AB-Ark), and private-to-government facility.

The obstetrics service will be provided to any person in need of treatment, regardless of economic status or for migrants with no proof of state identity, she further said.