Dehradun: With the aim of making the functioning in the government hospitals of the state more transparent, accountable and patient-centric, on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar held a detailed review meeting with the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of all 13 districts and Chief Superintendents (CMS) of sub-district hospitals in the auditorium located at the Secretariat on Monday.
The process of referring patients will be accountable, solid reason will have to be given on every referral
The Health Secretary expressed particular displeasure over the referral system and taking a tough stand on it, said that now patients will not be referred unnecessarily from hospitals. He said that it has been seen many times that due to the negligence of hospitals or lack of resource management, patients are referred without any clear reason, putting the lives of patients at risk. He directed that the responsibility of every referral will be on the concerned CMS. It will be mandatory for every referral to be made with valid and solid reasons with the counter-signature of the CMS. If this process is not followed in any case or the reason is found to be insufficient, immediate action will be taken against that officer. Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar directed the Director General of Health to prepare a clear SOP related to referral, so that the process of referral can be adopted with uniformity in the entire state.
If emergency ambulance service 108 is not available, the patient should be helped with local resources
There was also a wide discussion about emergency medical services in the meeting. Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar directed that if in any situation both 108 ambulance service and departmental ambulance service are not available to the patient on time, then local hospitals will have to immediately ensure alternative arrangements. He said that it will be the responsibility of the CMO and CMS to provide service using other government resources to take the patient to the hospital or higher medical facility in any emergency situation. Our priority is the life of the patient, not the complexity of the process. For this, instructions were given to keep a local ambulance network and resource list ready in advance.
The relatives of the deceased will not have to bear the burden of carrying the dead body
Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar also pointed out the serious problem that many times after death, the relatives of the deceased face a lot of trouble in taking the body home, especially when a mortuary vehicle or hearse is not available in the district. He directed that in such a situation, the concerned hospital administration or CMO should arrange the resources themselves and ensure that the body is respectfully delivered to the relatives. It is our moral and administrative responsibility that a family should not have to suffer further.
Notice to doctors who do not join, disciplinary action will be taken
Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar gave clear instructions in the meeting that those doctors who were issued transfer orders on June 13 after post-PG training and have not yet taken charge, should be immediately issued a show cause notice. Dr. Kumar said that disregard of service conditions will not be tolerated under any circumstances and as per the need, disciplinary action will also be implemented against the concerned doctors as per the rules. Director General Sunita Tamta, Director Dr. Shikha Jangpagi, Director Dr. C.P. Tripathi, Under Secretary Anoop Mishra and many senior officers and employees of the Health Department were present in the meeting.
