Bengal govt will monitor functioning of district hospitals live via control rooms: CM Adhikari
Kolkata, May 30
West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday announced that the health department will start "live monitoring" of district hospitals in the state to curb malaises plaguing the healthcare system.
He said that through this live monitoring of functioning of hospitals, the government wants to cure three long-standing malaises, namely absence of doctors during official duty hours, rampant reference of patients to medical colleges and hospitals in Kolkata without adequate reason and agents' networks.
"There will be a 24-hour control room to monitor functioning of the district hospitals. We are hiring professionals to ensure that no broker operates in the hospitals and that no patient is referred unnecessarily. The government will adopt a zero-tolerance policy in this matter," the Chief Minister told media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration programme of a cervical cancer vaccination camp at Bidhannagar on the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Saturday.
He also said that patients or their family members will be able to lodge their complaints by dialling the dedicated number of the control-room set up for the purpose.
The system will be operational mainly in district hospitals as well as in medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal.
The live monitoring will be controlled from Swastha Bhavan, the headquarters of the state health department at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also said around six crore people of West Bengal will be brought under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, which is replacing the Swastha Sathi, the state's own health insurance scheme introduced by the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal.
He also said that the state government had already started searching for land for setting up the proposed unit of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in North Bengal.
He also said that private hospitals which secured land at just Re 1 from the previous government, will now have to mandatorily introduce free-bed systems in those hospitals.
"Patients coming from economically weak backgrounds will get the treatment facilities for free over there," the Chief Minister said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a doctor working in a district hospital, I can tell you the problem is not just absenteeism - it's lack of basic infrastructure and overload. We have one doctor for 100s of patients daily. Live monitoring might catch absentees, but it won't solve the root issues. Also, why is this government suddenly so keen on Ayushman Bharat when they campaigned against it? 🤔
Wow, live monitoring sounds like big brother watching! But if it means my grandmother doesn't have to bribe an agent to get a hospital bed, I'm all for it. The agent network in Bengal hospitals is terrible - they prey on illiterate villagers. Let's hope the control room number actually works when we call. Also curious about that AIIMS in North Bengal - will it ever really come? 🏥
I'm cautiously optimistic. The Swastha Sathi scheme was actually decent under Mamata banerjee's government, but it had problems. Now this BJP government is replacing it with Ayushman Bharat? Let's see if coverage improves or declines. And honestly, 24x7 control rooms need trained staff - hiring professionals is good, but will they have the power to actually discipline defaulting doctors? The real test will be in the implementation, not the announcement.
Good move on the free-bed system in private hospitals that got land for Re 1! That was a scandal - giving prime land for chai-paani rates without conditions. But I worry about the 'live monitoring' becoming another harassment tool for hardworking doctors. We need better pay and more staff, not just cameras. Still, if it reduces unnecessary referrals to Kolkata, patients from districts will benefit immensely. 🙏
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