Hospitals across West Bengal must display the number and category of available ICU beds on their premises, following a state health department direction linked to the Supreme Court’s mandate for a standardised ICU display system. The requirement applies to government and private hospitals and is intended to give patients and families clearer information during critical-care emergencies.
Under the order, hospitals have been asked to classify ICU beds into three levels. Level 1 beds can be divided into two sub-categories based on whether they have ventilator support. Levels 2 and 3 will cover ICU beds with the usual critical-care facilities, according to the report.
The display boards must be installed at strategic locations within hospital premises. The health department has also asked institutions to begin determining and analysing the level of their ICU beds at the earliest. The classification process is expected to examine the facilities and staffing available for each category.
A state health official said Level 1 beds were meant for critical patients and that hospitals had to comply strictly with the specified features while carrying out the assessment. These features include the available space, life-saving and monitoring equipment, the nurse-to-patient ratio and round-the-clock doctor availability.
IPGMER-SSKM Hospital, Kolkata’s largest and busiest government hospital, has begun categorising its ICU beds, according to an administrator quoted in the report. The hospital is assessing its facilities so that Level 1 beds conform to the prescribed classification before it begins displaying the information.
Private hospitals are also preparing to implement the system. Subhashis Datta, general manager of operations at Ruby General Hospital, said the facility already had an assessment of its ICU beds and attached equipment but would review the classification again. The hospital plans to implement the display within a month, he said.
Rupak Barua, managing director and chief executive officer of Woodlands Hospital, said the hospital would assess its ICU beds and begin displaying the categories at the earliest. He added that discussions had started on the classification of Level 2 and Level 3 beds, for which hospitals may require further clarification.
The order could be particularly significant for smaller nursing homes that advertise ICU beds but may not have equipment such as ventilators. Rajib Pandey, secretary of the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes, said the association would ask its members to implement the requirement to improve transparency, patient safety and patients’ rights.
Large government and private hospitals in Kolkata typically have between 80 and 150 ICU beds per facility, according to the report. The health department’s direction will require those beds to be assessed against the prescribed levels before the information is displayed for patients and visitors.
Hospitals have been instructed to start the level-determination process immediately. The state’s implementation timeline includes the completion of assessments and installation of the displays, with Ruby General Hospital indicating that it expects to complete its implementation within a month.
