BMC ties up with charity chief to create awareness

As patients in civic hospitals fail to use beds reserved for them in trust-run facilities

In a move to relieve pressure on tertiary care public hospitals, the health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now tied up with the charity commissioner's office, to enable patients in civic hospitals to avail of the 20 per cent beds reserved for them in private hospitals.

This move comes after the civic health department learnt that the scheme for indigenous patients is illutilised by them, as they are not aware of this provision. Trust-run hospitals come under the purview of the charity commissioner's office.

Idzes Kundan, additional municipal commissioner (health), said, last week, at a meeting with the charity commissioner, it was decided to appoint OSDs in all the major civic hospitals and to provide free ambulance service to patients who will be transferred from the civic hospital to the trust-run hospital.

“There is very little awareness about the scheme and patients are clueless about how to avail of this facility. As tertiary care facilities treating patients are at their maximum capacity, we thought a joint initiative with the charity commissioner's office would ensure that patients will be moved to a private medical facility if civic hospitals do not have beds available. At the same time, we are creating a mechanism that will allow the patients a seamless transfer from one hospital to another,” said Kundan.

Shivkumar Dighe, charity commissioner, Maharashtra, said the BMC has already begun the process of appointing OSDs who will be stationed at charitable hospitals. The OSDs, along with social workers at private hospitals will be responsible for coordinating the transfer of patients and to ensure that patients receive treatment without any documentary hassle.

“We have already installed screens at five tertiary care hospitals of the city, including the Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy (JJ), the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Sion, the BYL Nair, the King Edward Memorial

(KEM) and Cooper hospitals, where real-time data of bed availability at all the trustrun hospitals is visible 24/7. The initiative will ensure more patients are aware of their rights and are able to exercise them freely,” added Dighe.