Ahmedabad: As part of the ongoing exercise to strengthen the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) in Gujarat, following the deaths of two men at Khyati Hospital, the state govt will make it mandatory for patients with certain cancers to have a tumour board certificate.
A portal for this purpose will soon be launched, according to state health department officials. Additionally, for empanelment, hospitals must have registration under the Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act.
The slew of announcements were made after a stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday evening in Gandhinagar, which was chaired by state health minister Rushikesh Patel. Officials stated that experts from both the govt and private sectors participated in the meeting to formulate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cardiology, oncology, and neonatal procedures. Patel said that the SOPs will ensure there is no scope for any malpractice. “Attempts have been made to ensure that the treatment under PM-JAY remains hassle-free for patients and the entire system remains foolproof,” he said.
Senior health officials stated that a State Anti-Fraud Unit (SAFU) will be created at both district and state levels to further strengthen the system. The unit will regularly check on the empanelled hospitals. One of Patel’s suggestions was to make the procedure more transparent with boards displaying treatment packages in the empanelled hospitals for the relatives of the patients.
The new SOP is likely to allow the empanelment of only hospitals with both cardiology and cardiovascular surgery facilities and experts. The hospitals will also need to submit recordings of angiography or angioplasty to relatives and the PM-JAY system. Similarly, for the radiotherapy of cancer patients, only centres with approved machinery and treatment protocols will be allowed under the scheme. Some of the cancer packages will also be revised, health officials added.
For NICU, CCTV installation will now be mandatory. New care guidelines will also be announced next week, officials indicated.
