Kolkata, Expressing concern over complaints of “broker raj” at state-run hospitals, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday asked officers to take strict action.
At a meeting attended by Health Department officials, principals and superintendents of major state-run hospitals, along with senior doctors having administrative responsibilities, Adhikari also issued directives aimed at curbing irregular patient referrals.
He directed hospitals to enhance capacity and improve transparency in the admission process.
All state-run hospitals have been asked to install display boards showing the total number of beds available and those currently occupied, an official said.
“The chief minister made it clear that there will be zero tolerance towards any form of middleman activity in hospitals. Transparency and accountability in patient care are now the top priority,” the senior Health Department official present in the meeting, held at SSKM Hospital, told PTI.
Identity cards have been made mandatory for all doctors, nurses and hospital staff across government medical establishments, he said.
The CM, who holds the Health portfolio, also emphasised strengthening security arrangements for medical students in government medical colleges and directed authorities to prevent unauthorised entry of outsiders into campuses.
“The focus was also on improving overall safety and discipline inside medical college campuses. Hospitals have been instructed to tighten monitoring mechanisms immediately,” the official said.
The state government is also planning to introduce an app-based ambulance service across West Bengal, and the matter was also discussed in the meeting, he said.
Under the proposed system, ambulances will be equipped with GPS tracking devices to enable real-time monitoring and quicker emergency response, he added.
It was also decided at the meeting that a centralised war room will be set up at Swasthya Bhavan with direct monitoring connectivity to the Chief Minister’s Office.
“The proposed war room will facilitate real-time monitoring of hospital operations and ambulance movement. The chief minister wants close supervision of the entire system,” the official said.
Adhikari is also expected to hold a meeting with private hospitals soon regarding utilisation of 15 per cent of beds reserved for patients referred by the state government, he said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
