Mangaluru: In an attempt to clear the air in the case of an allegation with regard to the refusal of BPL scheme availibilty, made on Indiana Hospital & Heart Institute Ltd in Mangaluru, the MD of the hospital Dr Yusuf Kumble regarded the entire allegation false and said that the Health Minister and other officials are continuously harassing private hospitals with regard to BPL schemes.
He was addressing a press meet in the city and began by acknowledging that the allegations made on the hospital were entirely false and being blown out of proportions.
“The reality of the government scheme for BPL is that it gives coverage for only 420 procedures, whereas there are 10,000 diseases that are treated commonly. And there is a quota for BPL beds in private hospitals and only 25% of general wards are allotted to a particular department. When the patient opts for higher category of accommodation or treatment there is no option to convert to BPL”, he said clarifying the issue.
The Incident:
The incident took place on Saturday, August 22, when a young patient by the name Mohammed Sharif brought in to the emergency room. “The boy required an immediate angioplasty and stenting in order to save his life”, said Dr Kumble.
Meanwhile, a group of relatives and friends who reached the hospital requested the doctors to carry the necessary procedures immediately and save the patient’s life, he added. However, the hospital authorities informed them about the cost of operating, which was approx Rs.1,30, 000. “They signed the high risk content form, agreeing to pay the said amount. The procedure was carried out and the patient was saved”, he confirmed.
“The next day a few people came with a BPL card and asked to convert the case to the BPL scheme. This was not possible because they had not submitted their BPL card before signing the High Risk form”.
“A private patient cannot be converted to BPL scheme, and the hospital authorities informed them about the inability to do so. The by-standers threatened the hospital staff that they hold a strong political influence and will not pay for the treatment done. They complained about this incident to the health minister. SAST (Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust) Executive Director without carrying a preliminary inquiry suspended the hospital from Vajpayee Arogya Scheme and released a statement to the media to the effect”, he explained.
He also said that Indiana Hospital is planning to file a case against this patient to recover the hospital expenses as he was admitted as a private patient in semi private ward. The hospital possesses the High Risk Form signed by the relatives, he added.
This particular incident along with other such incidents were discussed with the Private Hospital Association in a meeting and it has decided to submit a representation to the Health Minister and other officials to take necessary action to address these kind of issues.
The Private hospital Association Officials, while addressing the press, requested the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust to deal with these types of people/issues sternly, so that the poor patients are the real beneficiaries. “Otherwise, all the private hospitals will be forced to discontinue the very well meaning scheme”, they said and added that there are incidents where they have given free treatment to genuine patients on request even though they don’t have BPL cards.
Mr Sameer, COO of Indiana Hosptial was present at the press meet.
