Pvt hosp authorities in WB to meet clinical panel head over

Around 16 private hospitals in West Bengal have decided to seek more clarity from the state's clinical regulatory panel on its recent advisories regarding revision of bed charges and discount on medicines.

Around 16 private hospitals in West Bengal have decided to seek more clarity from the state's clinical regulatory panel on its recent advisories regarding revision of bed charges and discount on medicines. A delegation of authorities from the state's private hospitals will meet Justice Ashim Kumar Banerjee, the chairman of West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC), on Friday and discuss matters related to the recent notification, officials at the medical institutions said.

The delegation, under the banner of Association of Hospitals of Eastern India (AHEI), will decide on the implementation of the WBCERC advisories following the meeting, the officials said. "We will be meeting the chairman tomorrow (Friday) to seek more clarity on the advisories issued by the commission because there are some technical issues involved," a representative of the association said.

Incidentally, most private hospitals affiliated to AHEI have expressed strong reservations on the commission's advisories, fearing "financial constraints". Last week, the WBCERC asked the private hospitals to revert to the bed charges that were applicable in March. It also sought 10 per cent discount on medicines and 20 per cent on consumables for all patients.

"Providing a 10 per cent discount on all medicines is a tough task as, in most cases, we manage to earn a profit of just about 5 per cent. We need clarity on this. There also has to be a clear idea on the process of offering discounts to patients covered by medical insurance or corporate tie-ups. "For beds, we have been asked to levy charges which were applicable in March, which means at the rates that were in effect in 2019-20 fiscal. This is also difficult, going by the kind of service we are providing at the moment," a senior official of a super-speciality hospital here said.