Implement expert panel's suggestions for poor patients: HC

Mumbai, Aug 17 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today while accepting the recommendations of the expert committee to suggest ways to run Charitable Hospitals efficiently in aid of poor patients, directed for its implementation from September 1.

A division bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and S A Bobde observed that the hospitals need to understand the need of the citizens. Justice Lodha stated, ''Everything in such hospitals is commercial except the word charity''.

However, this public interest litigation was filed by Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar who had alleged that these hospitals, which are required to provide free treatment to indigent patients, were not doing so despite receiving several concessions and exemptions from the government.

Following the allegation, a committee was constituted in October last year by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Kshitij Vyas and Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud to probe the matter and come up with recommendations.

The recommendations accepted today state that 10 per cent of the beds in such hospitals should be for indigent patients completely free of cost and another 10 per cent for the weaker sections of the populace at concessional rates.

Also, the medicines and implant were to be charged at the purchase price to the hospital. The bill of such indigent patient would be debited to the PPF account at the lowest rates charged by such hospitals.

Two per cent of the total income earned by such hospitals have to be credited to a specially created fund called the ''Poor Patients Fund (PPF)'' and the amount of bill that worked out for the indigent patients and the unpaid half of the bill of patients from weaker sections had to be debited from this fund.

In emergency, the Charitable Hospitals would have to admit the patient immediately and provide 'essential medical facilities' for life saving emergency treatment and procedure till stabilization. No deposit would be asked in case of admission of an emergency patient while further transportation to a public hospital would also be provided by them, if necessary.

The Monitoring Committee for implementation of these recommendations would include the Joint Charity Commissioner, the Joint Director of Health Services, Secretary of the Association of Hospitals and the Health officer of a government hospital. The Committee shall hold a meeting once a month and monitor implementation of the scheme by each of such hospitals.

There are 319 charitable hospitals in Maharashtra. Some of these hospitals receive funds and donations which, the committee has recommended, should be credited to the PPF and the amount in such account shall be used for medical treatment to poor patients only.

However, while all recommendation would be implemented by September 1, the clause of ''expenses incurred on indigent/weaker section patients should be billed against the 'Poor Patients Fund' at lowest rate charged by charitable hospitals'' and ''state-aided hospitals to be restored the concessions and reliefs that were withdrawn'' be considered after one year, said the division bench.

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