Kolkata: The state health department on Friday asked all private hospitals in Kolkata to be ready to admit patients under Ayushman Bharat from Aug 16. While most hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme and trained their staff in the new process, the ones that are yet to complete the formalities have to submit a status report by Aug 11.“Small and medium-sized hospitals and nursing homes had a lot of queries about Ayushman. It will be launched on Aug 16,” said health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee, who chaired a virtual meeting with private hospitals during the day. “There were queries on rates offered by the scheme. We have decided that NABH-accredited hospitals will get a 10% higher rate than the non-accredited ones,” the minister said.Most city hospitals have completed the onboarding process, said Association of Hospitals of Eastern India president Rupak Barua. “We are ready to admit patients under Ayushman Bharat, which will replace Swasthya Sathi. This will benefit a large section of the underprivileged population and provide quality healthcare to those who can’t afford it. We expect the package rates under the scheme to be reasonable,” said Barua, also CEO of Woodlands Hospital.Hospitals are expanding their facilities anticipating a rise in patient count. Ruby General Hospital, which has already implemented the scheme for patients from other states, will have five additional ‘modular’ OTs by Aug 16. “We are also adding 45 beds to our critical care section and extending the emergency area,” said Subhashis Datta, chief manager – operations, Ruby. “The hospital will have more six-member teams for critical care. Now, we have one.”The number of Ayushman patients from neighbouring states has increased from 110 a month to 150 at the hospital. “There will be a surge once the scheme opens up locally,” said Subhashis Datta, chief manager – operations, Ruby.Desun Hospital, which has long been admitting patients from Bihar and Jharkhand under the scheme, has completed its onboarding process for Bengal. “We are fully prepared to offer treatment (under Ayushman Bharat) from day one. We are planning a dedicated help desk and earmarked beds for beneficiaries. There will be dedicated coordinators and administrative staff for Ayushman patients, but no separate medical team,” Sajal Dutta, chairman-cum-managing director of Desun.“Our teams have aligned the necessary clinical, administrative and digital processes to ensure eligible beneficiaries receive seamless, timely and high-quality care. Expanding access to quality healthcare through a unified cashless health insurance framework will benefit millions of families from across the state.”Charnock Hospital has an established mechanism for handling patients under health schemes, said managing director Prashant Sharma. “We offer treatment under other govt schemes, such as CGHS and ESIC. We are quite well prepared (to roll out Ayushman Bharat) at both Charnock Hospital and Charnock Lohia Hospital,” said Sharma.At BP Poddar Hospital, many doctors across specialities are already registered under Ayushman Bharat, said group adviser Supriyo Chakrabarty. “The hospital infrastructure is being prepared. A dedicated patient service team has been created to assist beneficiaries and ensure a smooth and hassle-free process for patients and their families,” he said.There will, however, be no dedicated wards for Ayushman patients, Chakrabarty said.
