Civil Hospital doctors violating PHSC notification

Civil Hospital doctors violating PHSC notification
Have tie-ups with expensive diagnostic centres; refer patients there to earn hefty commissions
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 31
Handsome salaries, it seems, are insufficient to meet the desires of the doctors at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, as a majority of them, in disregard to their pledge to serve society, are busy raking in the moolah even at the cost of the helpless and financially weaker patients.
A recent investigation conducted by The Tribune found that a majority of the doctors have some form of tie-ups (at personal level) with the expensive diagnostic centres in the city. They refer patients there and get attractive commissions in lieu of it.
The practice is in violation of the recent notification of the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC), according to which, four private diagnostic centres/laboratories of the Bathinda were brought on the panel of the district health authorities and all cases needing in-depth investigation were to be referred to these centres. Unfortunately, it is not happening.
Before bringing them on panel, the PSHC authorities had invited quotations from diagnostic centres and evaluating them thoroughly, rates for all kinds of tests were specifically mentioned in the terms and condition, which the centres had willingly accepted. Intending to facilitate the treatment of people from weaker sections of society, the approved rates of empanelled centres were settled at even less than half the rates prevalent in the market.
Following the guidelines, the officials concerned had circulated a notification to all doctors in the Civil Hospital and even put up a board bearing the names of the empanelled diagnostic centres along with the test rates at these four centres.
Despite this, it has been observed that doctors avoid following the orders of the PHSC and refer the patients to other diagnostic centres, which pay them hefty commissions out of the fee charged from patients.
Irked over it, Dr GS Shekhawat, whose centre is also on the panel, asked for related information for the month of August from the Civil Hospital authorities under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Initially, the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the hospital allegedly attempted to avoid providing the information but after the applicant filed an appeal, “half baked” information was supplied.
The information provided was startling as the hospital authorities replied that the only three outdoor and two indoor patients from the medicine department were referred for CT scan to the empanelled centres, while all other doctors denied providing information stating that they did not have any such information. The low number of patients referred to the empanelled centres was surprising as thousands of patients are treated at the Civil Hospital OPD every month.
About the MRI scan, except for the eye department that had referred one patient to an empanelled diagnostic centre, the authorities denied the information citing the excuse that they did not have any such information.
Further, the report sent by the officials of the women and children hospital raised questions over its reliability as five of the six doctors of the hospital claimed to have referred not even a single patient for CT scan and MRI scan, while one denied providing information saying he did not have any record.
Meanwhile, The Tribune received some reference slips (along with doctors’ signatures) and some photographs which show that the doctors had referred patients to some diagnostic centres that are not empanelled.
When contacted, Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, Dr ID Goyal said he was not aware of the issue but assured of inquiring into the matter and mentioned that anybody found guilty would have to face the music.
However, he said the doctors can’t force patients to get their tests conducted at a particular centre, they can just advise and it is up to the patients to heed to it.
It may be mentioned that earlier, The Tribune had also taken up the case of anomalies in the orthopaedics section of the hospital.