NMMC commissioner warns hosps against overcharging, denying admission

Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner ordered all private and charitable hospitals to stop overcharging patients Issuing several instructions to the hospital authorities municipal commissioner of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation NMMC Abhijeet Bangardirected them to have a realtime dashboard of bed status in the hospitalsThe NMMC also asked hospitals not to charge patients for PPE kits and other consumables which are used for multiple patients Additionally no dead body can be withheld for nonpayment of hospital billsNMMC is battling with the COVID19 pandemic and to date 19000 cases have been reported of which 3382 are undergoing treatment Most of these patients are admitted to private and charitable hospitals across the city There were many complaints from patients relatives and political parties about hospitals overcharging and harassing patients over billsNow on in every COVID19 hospital 80 per cent of beds shall be regulated by the NMMC The charges of these beds shall be levied as per government norms The hospitals shall display these details prominently in the main entrance lobby in the prescribed format and shall also update the realtime bed occupancy data on NMMC dashboardThere should not be any discrepancy in the occupancy data shown on the NMMC dashboard and actual vacancy in the hospital The hospitals shall display at a prominent place the details of rates It is the duty of the concerned hospital to explain to the patientrelatives the details of all types of charges The hospital shall not seek any deposit from any patient at the time of admission If any critical patient is referred to the hospital heshe shall not be deprived of getting admission on the ground of financial capacity read the directives issued byNMMC commissionerAs per the latest orderhospitals shall not deny admission to walkin patients especially those having oxygen saturation of less than 95 per cent In the case of bed unavailability the hospital shall stabilise the patient in their triage section until the bed is made available in another facility and shift the patient to that facility in an ambulance having an oxygen facility the directives further statedCharges for any medical implants Guiderwire Catheter PPE kit etc should not be more than the rates declared by institutes like Haffkin and in any case shall not be more than 10 per cent markup on net procurement cost incurred Hospitals may levy additional charges of not more than five per cent on the total bill excluding items mentioned above If any of the items are used for more than one patient then the prescribed cost shall be divided among such patients Preferably generic medicines shall be used for patients and charges would be levied accordingly The hospital shall avoid giving out bills with vague statements and ensure that item wise list of all equipment consumables medicines etc is given along with quantity utilised and per unit charges said BangarAt the time of discharge the patient should be provided with an ambulance to reach hisher residence Every eligible patient under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana MJPJAY shall be given benefits of the scheme The hospital may take the help of an insurance agency in order to ensure effective implementation of the schemeFor COVID19 patients Leave Against Medical Advice LAMADischarge Against Medical Advice DAMA shall not be allowed In case a patient is shifted to another facility the hospital shall ensure that the patient is shifted with proper dischargereferral note While shifting the patient the hospital should ensure that patient is transferred only in the ambulance with oxygen supportIn case of an event of unfortunate death of a patient the hospital shall not withhold or retain the body of the patient from handing it over to the relatives for nonpayment of bill Hospitals shall allow smartphonestablet devices in the patient area so that patients can video conference with their familyfriends Appropriate protocols of disinfection of devices timeslots etc can be developed by hospitals concernedAny hospital found violating the aforesaid guidelines shall be considered to have committed an offence punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code IPCKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news