Refer Patients To higher Hospitals Only In Emergencies: Health Minister
Rajanarsimha directed doctors to refer patients only when there was a valid medical reason. In emergencies where referral was unavoidable, the referring hospital should inform the receiving hospital in advance and coordinate with its doctors to ensure continuity of treatment.
Hyderabad: Government hospitals should not refer patients to higher-level facilities unless there is a genuine medical requirement or emergency, health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha told health officials on Saturday. He said unnecessary referrals were causing additional hardship to patients while placing avoidable pressure on tertiary-care hospitals.
Reviewing the functioning of hospitals under the Directorate of Secondary Health Care (DSH), Rajanarsimha said the practice had reduced in several hospitals, but reports of patients being referred even for minor ailments were still coming to the government’s notice. Officials were warned of strict action if such practices continued. He said community health centres (CHCs), area and district hospitals should be strengthened to provide comprehensive treatment locally, including major surgeries, so that patients are not forced to travel to tertiary-care hospitals.
Rajanarsimha directed doctors to refer patients only when there was a valid medical reason. In emergencies where referral was unavoidable, the referring hospital should inform the receiving hospital in advance and coordinate with its doctors to ensure continuity of treatment. The minister said DCHSs should ensure optimum utilisation of available doctors, staff, beds, medical equipment and diagnostic services at every hospital before referring patients elsewhere.
He said the government had recruited 1,616 specialist doctors for district and area hospitals and CHCs, in addition to filling 607 assistant professor posts in teaching hospitals. Necessary infrastructure and equipment were also being provided, he said. The minister directed DCHSs to conduct surprise inspections of hospitals at least once a week and verify staff attendance, availability of medicines, functioning of equipment, diagnostic services, sanitation, drinking water and biomedical waste management.
He warned that absenteeism, leaving duty early and negligence would invite action. Officials were also asked to identify infrastructure and operational problems early and resolve them without waiting for them to escalate.
