Pvt hospitals deny surgery to EWS patients, cite fewer ICU beds

“My father complained of blood in urine in January and we went to DDU Hospital, Hari Nagar. As the doctor suggested surgical intervention, I requested him to refer the case to a nearby private hospital under EWS category,” said Kumar, son of the patient Sher Bahadur (40). “I first took him to Rockland Hospital on March 13; we conducted all the tests as directed by the hospital. They kept delaying the operation,” he added. This is not a one-off case, as this hospital is known to send back ‘surgery’ and ‘high risk surgery’ patients. At present around 25 patients are desperately trying to get a surgery date. “I have forwarded these complaints to the senior officers several times. The hospital management is highly non-cooperative,” said a Liaison Officer (LO) of Delhi government, posted at this hospital.

                 "Delhi High Court in its historic judgment in 2007 had ordered private hospitals which have received land on concessional price on the name of charity, to provide 10 percent IPD beds and 25 percent OPD treatment ‘completely free’ to the poor. Despite several initiatives of AAP government to ensure free treatment to EWS patients, the hospitals are still to fall in line. In a series of investigative reports, Millennium Post tries to uncover the real picture."

An investigation revealed that a clever ploy was being used by the hospital to turn away surgery patients. As per information available on ‘Real Time Availability of free Beds’, an online service of Delhi government for EWS beds, Rockland is providing 10 EWS beds out of which one bed is under ‘Critical Without Ventilator’ (CRWV) category but in reality the hospital provides only six EWS beds that too only in Non-Critical category. All hospitals in the city have only two types of beds for paid patients General Ward (Non-Critical) and ICU/ Critical Wards while ventilator is provided as per requirement during operation or critical condition. According to hospitals, in case of EWS patients, they use CRV beds for highly risk surgery and CRWV beds for low risk surgery. The absence of CRV and CRWV beds in Rockland hospital makes it clear why ‘surgery’ patients/ critical patients are turned away. “After pressure from the top and hectic follow up they sometimes admit critical EWS patients but they have around 14 ICU beds for paid patients,” said the LO.

As per information on ‘Real Time’ there are total 640 EWS beds in 42 private hospitals in Delhi out of which 34 hospitals have the ‘condition of  free treatment in their land lease deed’, while the rest have joined the scheme on  ‘voluntary’ basis’. Only 3.9 percent of 640 EWS beds are of CRV category and total 12.96 percent beds are ICU (CRV and CRWV) category. However, these private hospitals use 20 to 25 percent of the ‘paid category beds’ under paid ICU. For example, Batra Hospital has 495 IPD beds and has provision for 50 EWS beds. The hospital uses 113 beds in ICU but provides only two beds for EWS ICU which is only 1.7 percent of total ICU beds.

Since one hospital in each ‘conditional’ and ‘voluntary’ category are Ayurvedic hospitals there are 2.48 percent EWS CRV beds in ‘conditional’ hospitals while ‘voluntary ‘hospitals have dedicated 8.44 percent beds under this category. Conditional hospitals have 10.6% EWS beds in ‘CRWV’ while voluntary hospitals have 4.6 % beds in this category. Conditional hospitals have 86.9% non critical EWS beds while voluntary hospitals have 87% EWS beds in non critical category.

“We have appointed LOs to monitor ‘free treatment’ and assist EWS patients in the private hospitals which have ‘free treatment condition in their lease deed’. Those don’t have condition are managing it voluntarily,” said Hem Prakash, Additional Director (EWS), Delhi Government. The admission of EWS ‘surgery’ and ‘high risk surgery’ patients in these hospitals depends on individual efforts of LOs and access of the patient in the corridors of power.