Kolkata: Hospitals in Kolkata have established help desks and dedicated teams to interact with patients seeking admission under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Many hospitals have also arranged training for staff to handle Ayushman patients effectively. While more than 11,000 health establishments in Bengal have applied for empanelment, there is still no clarity on when Ayushman cards will be distributed, who is required to refer patients for admission under the scheme, or how to upload patient details following admission, according to hospitals.
Association Seeks Meeting with State Officials
The Association of Hospitals of Eastern India (AHEI) is expecting a meeting with state health officials soon. The association emphasizes that patients should be made fully aware of the scheme's coverage. Rupak Barua, CEO of Woodlands Hospital and president of AHEI, noted allegations of inadequate coverage for various procedures under the Swasthya Sathi scheme, along with admission refusals. "Our help desk is ready, and we expect a meeting with national health authorities soon. Following that, there will be training for health workers on dealing with Ayushman patients. We have asked all member hospitals to be transparent about the scheme," Barua said.
Hospitals Prepare for Increased Patient Footfall
Ruby General Hospital, which has been on the Ayushman platform for several years and treats around 150 patients monthly under the scheme, has started interacting with patients' families on admission rules and procedures. "Our Ayushman patients are from neighboring states. There could be alterations now that it has been rolled out in Bengal, and we are training our staff for changes," said Subhashis Datta, chief general manager-operations at Ruby.
A south Kolkata hospital that also offers Ayushman said it is preparing to communicate eligibility to patients but noted that displaying all rates could be challenging since they run into more than 50 pages. "We have initiated the process of setting up a dedicated Ayushman help desk. We anticipate a significant increase in patient footfall and are proactively working to make the facility fully functional soon. Once it starts working, we will begin counseling all Ayushman patients who currently come from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Tripura on the rates and conditions of admission, which will serve as preparation before local patients start getting admitted," the hospital in-charge said.
Common Treatments and Payment Challenges
Most patients are currently admitted under Ayushman Bharat for cardiac procedures, orthopaedic implants, and cancer treatment across various Kolkata hospitals. Since most city hospitals are rated Grade 1 under the NABH accreditation system, the rates are considered "good," said a hospital representative. "For these three, the basic costs are covered. But patients sometimes seek a more expensive cardiac or orthopaedic implant that is not covered under the package. In those cases, they pay the additional amount unofficially. However, these must be communicated to patients in advance. Once the patient numbers swell, this could be a challenge," the representative added.
Differing Views on Rate Display
Some hospital officials felt displaying rates was unnecessary since the scheme entitles enlisted patients to free treatment. "Once it is available, Ayushman is free of charge, so patients just need to be communicated the treatment details. Explaining the charges is redundant," said Prashant Sharma, MD of Charnock Hospital. Charnock has an established mechanism for handling patients under health schemes. "As we are also doing many other schemes like CGHS and ESIC, we are quite well prepared both at Charnock Hospital and at Charnock Lohia Hospital," Sharma added.
Desun Hospital already has an existing help desk as it is on the Ayushman platform. "We have an established setup to handle queries related to treatments, package rates, hospital stay, and other details. Once the scheme is fully operational in Bengal, we will strengthen our support system with a dedicated desk to assist beneficiaries. Our teams have undergone training at Swasthya Bhavan and are currently brushing up with internal hands-on training. Wherever applicable, we will also make information related to Ayushman Bharat package rates available to patients to promote transparency and informed decision-making," said Desun MD Sajal Dutta.
At HCG Cancer Hospitals, every patient will be counseled before admission. "The treatment plan, applicable rates, eligibility, and estimate are explained, and the 'estimation paper' is signed by both the counselor and the patient. We will follow the same transparent process for Ayushman Bharat," said Rupali Basu, RBH (East & AP), HCG Cancer Hospitals.
