Kolkata: The West Bengal health department has directed all private hospitals in Kolkata to join the Ayushman Bharat panel through the online portal 'as soon as possible'. During a virtual meeting on Tuesday, officials from Swasthya Bhavan interacted with representatives of over 350 private hospitals and nursing homes across the state, including those in Kolkata. The meeting was attended by three to four senior health officials along with a technical team that guided hospital representatives on logging onto the Ayushman Bharat portal and completing the online formalities for empanelment.
Existing Empanelled Hospitals
Several private hospitals in Kolkata, such as Ruby General, HCG Cancer Hospitals, Desun Hospital, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital, and Peerless Hospital, are already part of the Ayushman panel. Others, like Charnock Hospital, are in the process of joining.
Background of the Scheme
Last week, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that Ayushman Bharat would be introduced in the state, sparking speculation about the future of Swasthya Sathi, the universal health scheme launched by the Trinamool government in 2016. While the modalities of the launch or a potential merger with Swasthya Sathi were not specified, hospitals were urged to log onto the portal immediately. Sources indicated that hospitals were assured that Swasthya Sathi would continue, and an integration of the two schemes would be worked out in due course.
Hospital Representatives' Perspectives
A representative from a private hospital said, 'There were three to four officials and some technical experts who guided us on how to log on and complete formalities. It seemed to be an easy process and can be completed in a week. There was some confusion at the beginning as a large number of establishments joined in, and the officials were not sure if they were invited through a link.' He added that health officials emphasized the need to complete empanelment quickly.
Swasthya Bhavan had earlier sent videos on the empanelment process to help hospitals link to the portal. The Tuesday meeting featured additional videos illustrating the linking process step by step.
Prashant Sharma, Managing Director of Charnock Hospital and President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Committee, said, 'We were at the virtual meeting and will join the portal soon. It will be easier for us since we are on the CGHS platform, and empanelment is similar and should be quicker. For our second hospital, Charnock Lohia, we will put in a fresh application.'
Woodlands Hospital completed the empanelment process this week, according to CEO Rupak Barua. 'There are hundreds of facilities across the state that are struggling with the online process. They need to be roped in quickly for Ayushman to take off. We also believe that an integration process is being worked out,' Barua added. He is also President of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India (AHEI).
A representative from Ruby General Hospital attended the meeting even though it is already on the panel. 'While technical details of empanelment were explained, modalities were not discussed,' said Subhasish Datta, Chief Operations Manager at Ruby General. HCG Cancer Hospitals are also in the process of joining. Rupali Basu, Regional Business Head - East & AP at HCG Cancer Hospitals, remarked, 'For any health scheme to be practical and sustainable, package rates must be realistic, subject to annual revision, and payments to healthcare providers must be regular.'
The AHEI is planning to approach the state with a plea for an inclusive scheme that reaches the majority of the population. Barua stated, 'While Swasthya Sathi is still on, it must be replaced in a phased manner by Ayushman Bharat. An ideal situation would be a merger like Odisha.'
