In a first-of-its-kind drive across the State, more than 350 charitable trust hospitals will reach out to the poor on the streets and slum areas on December 3 as part of a drive announced by Charity Commissioner Shivkumar Dige.
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The drive is compulsory for all charitable hospitals, many of which are infamous for overcharging and not treating the poor despite the mandate of reserving beds for them.
Mr. Dige’s aim is two-pronged: the hospitals will have to screen patients by putting their machinery in action, and the poor will become aware that they have the right to access these five-star hospitals.
A similar campaign was initiated by Mr. Dige in Mumbai on November 4, in which the city’s 74 charitable trusts hospitals, including Jaslok, Breach Candy, Bhatia and Bombay Hospitals, sent out doctors in ambulances on the streets and slums areas near them.
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“Maharashtra has 430 charitable trust hospitals. Since we have covered Mumbai, the remaining 356 will participate in the upcoming drive,” Mr. Dige told The Hindu , adding that 200 staff members from his office will oversee the work and spread awareness.
The charity clause
Private hospitals run by a trust are known as charitable trust hospitals, and hence get concessions in water, electricity, income tax, drugs, octroi, customs duty and Floor Space Index (FSI). In return, they hospitals have to deposit 2% of their income in an Indigent Patients Fund, which has to be utilised to treat needy patients with an annual income ofl ess that ₹25,000.
The hospitals have to reserve 10% of their beds for such patients. They have to reserve another 10% for patients with an annual income of less than ₹50,000, and provide them treatment and services at concessional rates. All the patient has to do is provide a certificate from the tehsildar, or a ration card or a below poverty line card.
“Most poor patients are clueless about this. The charitable trust hospitals do not publicise this for obvious reasons. But now, we want to play a role in spreading this knowledge,” said Mr. Dige.
Mumbai campaign
During the drive in Mumbai, 11,000 patients were examined in a day, 115 were referred for admission and one was admitted to a hospital on the same day. As many as 150 ambulances with 150 MBBS doctors from all the hospitals were on the streets that day, Mr. Dige said.
The Charity Commissioner said that his staff will also try to carry out surprise checks after the drive to see if the patients had faced refusals or any other problems.