Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Health Department Plans SOP To Reduce Patient Referrals
The government wants hospitals to stop sending patients to faraway districts when they can treat them locally.
Health Minister UT Khader said a new set of rules, called an SOP, is being prepared.
These rules would allow hospitals to refer only difficult cases that they cannot handle.
He said Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru receives patients from several other districts.
The government also plans to add doctors and intensive care units to taluk hospitals.
This could help more patients receive care closer to home.
Some hospitals attract many patients because people believe they provide better treatment.
Khader said this is why hospitals such as NIMHANS, Kidwai and Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital are crowded.
The Health and Family Welfare Department is finalising an SOP to limit unnecessary referrals between districts.
Health Minister UT Khader said only complicated cases should be sent to hospitals in other districts.
Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru receives patients referred from several other districts, he said.
The government is strengthening taluk hospitals with more doctors and intensive care unit facilities.
Khader said hospitals offering high-quality treatment, including NIMHANS, Kidwai and Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, naturally attract more patients.
- Who
- The Health and Family Welfare Department and Minister UT Khader.
- What
- The department is preparing an SOP to reduce unnecessary referrals of patients to hospitals in other districts.
- When
- The announcement was made on Monday; no specific date was provided.
- Where
- The announcement was made in Mangaluru, with the policy applying to hospitals across the districts discussed.
- Why
- To ensure hospitals treat cases within their capabilities and to reserve inter-district referrals for complicated cases.
- Policy
- A standard operating procedure is being finalised for patient referrals.
- Referral rule
- Only complicated cases that cannot be treated locally should be referred to hospitals in other districts.
- Example hospital
- Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru receives referrals from several other districts.
- Districts mentioned
- Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Madikeri and Davangere.
- Local hospital support
- Taluk hospitals are being strengthened with doctors and intensive care unit facilities.
- Popular hospitals
- Khader cited NIMHANS, Kidwai and Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital as hospitals that attract patients because of their services.