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Towards Establishing the
Right to Health and Healthcare
1.
Nursing Homes and Hospitals: Setting up minimum decent standards and requirements for each type of unit;
general
specifications for general hospitals and nursing homes and special requirements
for specialist care, example maternity homes, cardiac units, intensive care
units etc. This should include physical standards of space requirements and
hygiene, equipment requirements, human power requirements (adequate nurse:
doctor and doctor: beds ratios) and their proper qualifications etc.
Maintenance of proper medical and other records, which should be made
available
statutorily to patients and on demand to inspecting authorities.
Setting up of a strict referral system for hospitalization and secondary and
tertiary care
Fixing reasonable and standard hospital, professional and service charges.
Filing of minimum data returns to the appropriate authorities for example
data on notifiable diseases, detailed death and birth records, patient and
treatment data, financial returns etc.
Regular medical and prescription audits which must be reported to the
appropriate authority
Regular inspection of the facility by the appropriate authority with
stringent provisions for flouting norms and requirements
Periodical renewal of registration after a thorough audit of the facility 2.
Physicians and other medical practitioners: Ensuring that only properly qualified persons set up practice
Compulsory maintenance of patient records, including prescriptions, with
regular audit by concerned authorities
Fixing of standard reasonable charges for fees and services
Regulating a proper geographical distribution
Filing appropriate data returns about patients and their treatment
Provision for continuing medical education on a periodic basis with licence
renewal dependent on its completion 3.
Diagnostic Facilities: Ensuring quality standards and qualified personnel
Standard reasonable charges for various diagnostic tests and procedures
Audit of tests and procedures to check their unnecessary use
Proper geographical distribution to prevent over concentration in certain
areas 4.
Pharmaceutical industry and pharmacies: Allowing manufacture of only essential and rational drugs
Regulation of this industry must be switched to the Health Ministry from the
Chemicals Ministry
Formulation of a National Formulary of generic drugs which must be used for
prescribing by doctors and hospitals
Ensuring that pharmacies are run by pharmacists through regular inspection by
the authorities
Pharmacies should accept only generic drug prescriptions and must retain a
copy of the prescription for audit purposes 5.
Health insurance and third party administration: Health insurance should be allowed only as a not-for-profit sector
National and social insurance must be under public authority
Premiums must be negotiated through a multi-stakeholder mechanism
Insurance coverage must be comprehensive
Insurance companies must directly settle claims with hospitals and physicians
Insurance data must be in public domain
Individual based exclusions should not be permitted
Insurance must also cover preventive and promotive healthcare, maternity,
dentistry and ophthalmic services. | 