Mangaluru: In a letter to the commissioner of health and family welfare, Wenlock District Hospital superintendent Dr Shivaprakash DS has sought comprehensive guidelines for referring patients under the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (ABArK) and non-ABArK schemes.Dr Shivaprakash told reporters on Friday that the proposed guidelines aim to streamline patient care and maximise the efficiency of existing healthcare resources. He has requested that hospitals in Karnataka and neighbouring states verify ICU bed availability at Wenlock hospital before transferring critically ill patients, noting the strain on its intensive care capacity.“Our hospital receives a large number of referrals from across the state and neighbouring regions, making ICU bed availability a major challenge. The hospital has 116 ICU beds, including 21 medical ICU and 27 surgical ICU beds. Many district hospitals refer critically ill patients without checking ICU bed availability,” he said.“Despite repeated communications from the DHO and hospital administration to all DHOs and district hospital superintendents, several hospitals continue to refer patients without prior coordination. Referring patients without prior confirmation will result in difficulties in accommodating emergency cases,” he said. The district hospital has proposed a 10-point SoP in its letter to the commissioner.He said referrals should be made only for genuine emergency cases, and referral data needs to be submitted to the respective DHOs for effective monitoring. “Preference should be given to provide treatment in the home district whenever possible,” he said, cautioning about the risk in transporting critically ill patients.The govt has been requested to sanction 50 additional ICU beds and additional staff for Wenlock hospital.Replying to a query, Dr Shivaprakash said the hospital is considering introducing an online system displaying real-time ICU bed availability. This will help hospitals check ICU bed availability before transferring patients to our hospital, he added.Dakshina Kannada DHO Dr HR Thimmaiah warned private hospitals empanelled under the ABArK scheme not to collect treatment charges from referred patients, as the govt reimburses the expenses. Health and family welfare minister UT Khader is likely to convene a state-level meeting to review the implementation of the ABArK scheme soon, he said.
