Mamata announces regulatory body to curb anti-patient private hospital malpractices
"We will be setting up a health regulatory commission, led by a former judge, to monitor the nursing homes and the commission will submit report in every month," Mamata Banerjee said.
"Our government will bring in an amendment to the West Bengal Clinical Act in the upcoming session of the Assembly," Banerjee added.
During the meeting in Kolkata's Town Hall, Chief Minister said that Bengal government had already taken actions against few private hospitals, based on patients' allegations.
"There are 2088 registered nursing homes in West Bengal, 370 out of which are in Kolkata. Basing on allegations, we carried out surveys in 942 nursing homes and after receiving the survey report, we served show cause notices to 70 hospitals and dismissed the licenses of 33 private nursing homes," Mamata Banerjee said.
"There is a lack of transparency in billing and treatment bills are not fair, those are overdrawn," she added.
She also slammed the authorities of Kolkata nursing homes for allegations of unfair billing, negligence in treatment and running kidney-racket against their hospitals.
The Chief Minister said even patients from Bangladesh are overcharged while patients are forced to be on ICU or on ventilation. She said even for a stomach upset now doctors prescribe several expensive tests and this must end.
She said several hospitals benefited from government and were given land for their construction while they have not kept their commitment to treat some poor free.
She said a patient when admitted in a hospital further suffers knowing that an inflated bill would be given while with patients the family also suffer heavily.
"The patient dies and the family dies too. Even an MP who was admitted was given a bill of Rs 35 lakh I am told," she said.
She said a patient who is brought to a hospital or nursing home from an accident spot should be given treatment first.
She said the commission formed would give her report every month.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
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