1 week ago

Health Minister Orders Emergency-Only Referrals to Higher Hospitals

The health minister said hospitals should not send patients to bigger hospitals unless it is truly necessary.

Sending patients away for small illnesses can make travel harder for families.

It can also overcrowd bigger hospitals.

Local hospitals are being asked to provide more treatments and surgeries.

Doctors must explain why a patient needs to be referred.

In emergencies, the first hospital must contact the next hospital before sending the patient.

The government has added specialist doctors and assistant professors.

Officials will inspect hospitals regularly and take action over problems such as absenteeism or poor care.

Key facts

Referral rule: Patients should be referred to higher-level hospitals only when medically necessary or during emergencies.
Emergency coordination: Referring hospitals must inform and coordinate with receiving hospitals before transferring patients when referral is unavoidable.
Local treatment: Community health centres, area hospitals and district hospitals should provide comprehensive care, including major surgeries.
Specialist recruitment: The government recruited 1,616 specialist doctors for district and area hospitals and community health centres.
Teaching hospitals: A total of 607 assistant professor posts were filled.
Inspections: District coordinators of hospital services were instructed to conduct surprise inspections at least once a week.
Potential action: Officials warned that unnecessary referrals, absenteeism, early departure from duty and negligence could lead to action.

deccanchronicle.com · 1 week ago