Ranchi hospitals, clinics and nursing homes have yet to comply with an order requiring them to display medical service rates, doctor duty details and registration certificates, prompting the civil surgeon to form a seven-member inspection team and warn of disciplinary action.
Civil surgeon Dr Amarendra Prasad issued the directive on October 29, giving clinical establishments in the district one week to prominently display item-wise rate charts for consultation fees, investigation charges, bed charges and other services. Facilities were also instructed to publish the names, qualifications, registration numbers and duty timings of doctors available on their premises.
The order applies to private and government hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and other clinical establishments operating in Ranchi. It also requires facilities to display valid and updated registration certificates at reception areas and other locations accessible to patients and the public.
A visit by the Times of India to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, the sadar hospital and private medical facilities in Bariatu and Lalpur on Tuesday found that the directive had not been implemented. The report said rate charts were not prominently displayed at the facilities visited.
An employee at a private hospital in Bariatu said the authorities had not yet inspected the premises and that patients had not been asking for rate details. The employee added that the hospital would display the charts soon.
Dr Prasad said the directive was intended to curb excessive charges imposed on patients by private hospitals. He said establishments had been given sufficient time to comply and confirmed that a seven-member team had been constituted to inspect healthcare facilities and verify compliance. Hospitals found violating the directive would face disciplinary action, he said.
The order also requires healthcare establishments to provide information about the medical services available at their facilities and patients’ rights. It directs them to avoid imposing charges that have not been disclosed to patients.
The findings also pointed to gaps in transparency at public facilities. Ranchi resident Amar Kumar, who visited RIMS on Tuesday, said a duty chart listing doctors available in outpatient departments was displayed at the registration counter, but he had not seen rate charts for tests and other services available at the institute.
The inspection team’s verification exercise will determine which establishments have complied with the order and which may face action. The civil surgeon’s office has not specified in the supplied report when the inspections will be completed or what disciplinary measures will be imposed on non-compliant facilities.
