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Vasant Kunj

EWS Beds in Delhi: Private Profiteering on Public Sufferings

The State, in pursuance of its social responsibilities bestowed on it by the Constitution, has been providing various concessions, including highly subsidised land at prime locations to the entrepreneurs and voluntary organisations to construct and operate hospitals in different parts of the country. This public–private partnership (PPP) to provide quality health services has existed since decades and the private partners have been claiming to extend the benefits to the economically weaker section (EWS) patients through charity.

Between 1950- 2000, 37 Private hospitals in the Delhi-NCR Region were sanctioned land for Hospitals on concessional rates for as low as Rupee 1.

In 2007 the Hon’ble Delhi High Court ordered all such private hospitals in the National Capital to provide free medical treatment to the underprivileged. As per Court orders, hospitals must comply with 25% OPD reserve and 10% bed reserve.

The agreement with the hospitals called for providing free treatment to the EWS patients and this clause was inserted as a precondition and enforceable clause in lieu of the concessional land. The hospitals charging any money from such patients are liable to be proceeded against in accordance with the law.

The current position is that some of the Delhi hospitals which signed such agreements follow the rules, but most of them have shut their doors for the poor and operate their hospitals as private business ventures.

The National Capital at present is in the grip of vector-borne diseases with malaria and dengue cases registering an exponential rise. This has resulted in the people thronging the hospitals. Most severely affected are the people of the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Three weeks back, my Gardener was affected with Dengue with his Platelets count dropping to 30,000 vs. the Normal of about 2 – 2.50 lacs. He has a EWS Card but even after his family approached a few hospitals in South Delhi, they were shown the door with the words that all EWS beds are full. Finally, his family got him admitted to a prominent South Delhi hospital. He had to pay in cash a staggering amount of Rs. 1.10 lacs for a 5 days treatment in the Hospital.

The above case is an eye opener.

A number of loopholes need to be plugged by the custodian of the public properties, which is the State in this case, to ensure that the public partners who are the poor patients are welcomed and provided non-discriminatory health services without any fee.

While the Govt. of NCT of Delhi has proactively taken steps to ensure implementation, monitoring is lagging with the result that some Hospitals are avoiding providing free treatment –maybe the EWS Beds are being allotted to patients who can pay the full amount.

The Govt. needs to monitor that none of the Identified Private Hospitals shall refuse treatment to eligible patient of EWS category if he/she fulfils the criteria. This could be by ensuring that:

1.Hospitals display at the Reception Counter every morning the latest position of EWS Beds available and occupied versus the stipulated requirement.

2. Similar position must be displayed on the websites of the Hospitals

3.Government Nodal Officers must verify on a daily basis the status of patients admitted by the identified hospitals and undertake surprise checks and audits on a regular basis.

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