Fair Price Diagnostic Centres – Free Services to the Poor

Government of West Bengal
Health & Family Welfare Department
MS Branch
Swasthya Bhawan, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700091

Memo No. HF/O/MS/PPP/144/W-18/15 Date: 09.02.2015

Memorandum

Sub: Operation and Management (O&M) of Fair Price Diagnostic and Dialysis Services through PPP – utilization of concession fee for free services to the poor

Fair Price Diagnostic Centres for high-end Imaging facilities viz CT scan, MRI scan and Digital X-Ray units and in addition Dialysis Services have started functioning in many of the hospitals selected for such services in the State after execution of Agreement with the selected O&M partners through PPPs. The operationalisation of these services in the remaining hospitals where such services would be set up is also under process.

In this context, provision of the said Agreement on concession fee, free services and payments may please be referred. On the basis of the initial experience on functioning of this scheme, it has been felt important by this Department to utilize the concession fee for providing benefits of free services to the poor and vulnerable section of the patients under this scheme. Accordingly, this Department issues the following guidelines for implementation of this scheme for the benefit of the patients:

1. The quarterly concession fee as applicable for each of the hospitals for specific services should be fully utilized for providing free services for the applicable services to the poor and vulnerable sections of the patients as well as patients entitled for free services as per guidelines of this Department. The proceeds from concession fee will be fully utilized for reimbursement of the cost of free services provided by the O&M partners. This concession fee cannot be utilized for any other purpose.
2. The O&M partners will make full payments of the dues of the concession fee, where services have already been operationalized, to the account of the Rogi Kalyan Samity (RKS) of the concerned hospital by cheque or electronic transfer by 15th February, 2015 without fail. Non compliance shall be treated as violation of agreement conditions and hospital authorities may take remedial actions as per agreement clauses.
3. The hospital authorities can book free cases for economically poor patients from day one of start of functioning of the facility but shall be restricted within 20% of total cases or availability of quarterly concession fee whichever is less. No O&M partner shall refuse free cases as hospital authorities will make payments for all such cases.
4. Patients receiving such free services should be provided with 100% free services and not 25% or 50% free out of the total payments.
5. The patients entitled for free services will be referred by the MSVP/ Superintendent of the concerned Hospital or their authorized persons in their absence to the respective units under PPP recommending for free services with the required prescription of the patients.
6. Patients of other Government Hospitals may be referred for these services to the concerned MSVP/ Superintendent of the Hospitals where such services are available and if any of these patients are entitled for free services, they would be referred to the concerned units under PPP only by the MSVP/ Superintendent of the hospitals where these services are in operation.
7. The MSVP/ Superintendent or the Assistant Superintendent of the concerned hospital will keep track of the free services on monthly basis for necessary actions in subsequent months.
8. Electricity dues, if any, must be cleared forthwith by 15th February, 2015. Wherever, separate electric meter or service connection is not in place, hospital authorities will request PWD Electrical to install sub meter and raise the demands as per assessed consumption of units. The O&M partners will make payments within 15 days of demand notice issued by hospital authorities.
9. The above guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Agreement executed with the O&M partners
   This is issued with the approval of the Principal Secretary and supersedes previous Memorandum issued on this subject vide Memo no. HF/PPP/1/2012/Pt-IA/537 dated 10.11.2014.

Secretary in the Department
Government of West Bengal

No. HF-144 dated 09.02.2015, Source