This was announced by Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini.
Chandigarh:
Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini on Thursday announced that cataract surgery will be free in all 26 government hospitals and 15 private hospitals across the state.
Additionally, Mr. Saini announced the launch of tele-consultation services by experts from PGIMS Hospital, Rohtak on the model of successful telemedicine services at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
The service will allow residents of the state to access consultation from medical experts at no cost, benefiting a large number of people especially in rural and remote areas, an official statement said.
Haryana has seen a significant increase in the number of calls received daily, rising to an average of 1,700 calls per day.
In order to further improve the access and service of health services, the state government has set an ambitious target of making 7,000 calls per day. Currently, the total number of outpatient department (OPD) visits across Haryana is around 1 lakh per day.
The Chief Minister presided over the review meeting of the Department of Health, AYUSH and Medical Education and Research here.
Mr. Saini emphasized that his primary goal is to provide quality healthcare within the reach of all citizens across the state.
Haryana Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao was also present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, taking stern action on a complaint against a private nursing home in Kurukshetra for allegedly charging patients cash for treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the Chief Minister ordered the suspension of the hospital’s listing with the scheme, with immediate effect.
Mr. Saini clarified that any hospital found to be accepting cash payments or requiring advance payment signatures from patients or their family members will be immediately delisted.
In the meeting, he also suggested setting up a revolving fund to make timely payments to hospitals for treatment provided under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
About 45 lakh eligible families are getting health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family. There are a total of 1,227 panel hospitals in the state comprising 502 public and 725 private hospitals.
Reviewing the functioning of civil hospitals across the state, the Chief Minister emphasized that patient satisfaction is the primary goal of the healthcare system.
He directed all doctors and paramedical staff to be strictly available during their designated duty hours so that there is no unnecessary delay in receiving care by patients.
Mr. Saini emphasized the need for improved communication and patient support. In this regard, he directed to establish a toll free helpline number in all civil hospitals to provide timely assistance and address any problem or complaint of the patients.
The Chief Minister said that 777 medical officers will be recruited in the state before December 31 to further strengthen the healthcare system and meet the demand of doctors.
Also, to further strengthen the rural health infrastructure, 825 health facilities including 718 sub-health centers, 82 primary health centers and 25 community health centers (CHCs) will be established in a phased manner.
Mr. Saini directed to establish digital inventory portal connected with ‘CM Dashboard’ on priority basis. The portal will provide real-time information on the availability of medical equipment such as ICU, ultrasound machine, X-ray machine, CT scanner and more.
The digital inventory portal will also help track the daily usage of these services, ensuring better resource management and service delivery.
Reviewing the performance of the AYUSH Department, Mr. Saini directed to speed up the construction of the AYUSH University in Kurukshetra, which is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs.1,296.09 crore.
He also emphasized on the need to promote and propagate AYUSH practice across the state.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
(TagsToTranslate)Cataract Surgery