With an aim to put a stop to irregularities in the medical sector, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Wednesday conducted a comprehensive review of the regulatory changes made to the PMJAY-MA scheme. The development also comes in the backdrop of two major fraud cases which came to the fore this year — at Nihit Babycare Children Hospital in Rajkot and at Khyati Multispeciality Hospital in Ahmedabad. The review meeting was held in Gandhinagar on Wednesday and was attended by Principal Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi, Health Commissioner Harshad Patel, PMJAY-MA CEO Remya Mohan and expert doctors from several government and private hospitals. A statement from the government on Thursday, quoting Patel, said that the new SOPs (standard operating procedures) would ensure that there is “no scope for miscreants to commit irregularities with patients in the lure of money”. In addition, efforts have been made to make the treatment available under this scheme “easier, more accessible and the entire system stronger”. During the review meeting, new SOPs were discussed for packages, including cardiology, oncology (cancer) and neonatal (pediatric) treatment for empanelled hospitals under the PMJAY-MA scheme. According to the government statement, it is now compulsory for empanelled hospitals to be registered under the Clinical Establishment Act. Suggestions were also sought from senior doctors present at the meeting. The statement said that several teams of State Anti-Fraud Units would be set up at the district and state level which will conduct “surprise visits and take necessary action regarding suspicious activities of empaneled hospitals based on complaints”. In addition, matters like manpower, equipment and necessary licenses as well as certification, clinical procedures have also been included in this new guideline, which was prepared after detailed discussions and consultations with expert doctors. Apart from the earlier prepared SOPs for cardiology treatments under the scheme, now Tumor Board Certificates (TBCs) will also be made mandatory for some cancer treatments, for which an online portal will be developed by the State Health Agency (SHA). In addition, some packages for cancer treatment will also be amended. New guidelines have also been prepared for neonatal care, especially for the treatment given to children in ICU. Issues such as mandatory CCTV installation for treatment like NICU/SNCU have also been covered under the new norms.
