Mumbai: Charitable or trust-run hospitals must reserve beds for economically weaker patients. If treatment is delayed due to reserved beds being occupied by others, strict action should be taken immediately. These directives were issued by Union Minister of State for AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, during a meeting at the BMC headquarters on Wednesday evening.
He also instructed the civic authorities to allocate space for generic medical stores in civic-run hospitals to ensure poor patients can access medicines at minimal rates.
As per rules, charitable or non-profit hospitals must display a signboard indicating that 20% beds are reserved for poor patients. However, many hospitals are not implementing these schemes, leaving poor patients without treatment.
Jadhav said, “If complaints arise, there should be a provision for a fine of Rs25,000 or three-month imprisonment, or both,” said Jadhav.
He pointed out that under the Centre’s National Health Fund scheme, patients can receive treatment up to Rs15 lakh. However, this scheme has not been implemented in any of the civic-run hospitals. Expressing strong displeasure, he instructed that the Ayushman Bharat Health Card, or the Digital Arogya Card, should be adopted immediately, and 90% of the work should be completed within the next three months. Also present was MP Ravindra Waikar, who said 840 posts of doctors in civic-run hospitals are vacant and asked to fill them immediately.
