Hyderabad: Health minister Damodar Rajanarasimha on Tuesday directed superintendents of the govt hospitals to take personal responsibility for ensuring quality treatment, cleanliness and patient-friendly services. Addressing superintendents of govt general hospitals and area hospitals with a capacity of 100 beds or more, the minister asked them to conduct daily ward visits, interact with patients and resolve grievances without delay.He warned that absenteeism, delays in treatment, negligence of duty and making patients wait for long hours would not be tolerated. Superintendents were instructed to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of emergency departments, intensive care units, maternity wards, operation theatres, dialysis units, laboratories, blood banks and radiology services round-the-clock. The minister also stressed the need for timely maintenance of medical equipment and the prompt reporting of medicine shortages or infrastructure-related issues.To strengthen accountability, he announced that the health department would introduce a performance dashboard to continuously monitor govt hospitals. The dashboard will assess hospitals based on outpatient and inpatient services, surgeries, emergency care, maternal and child health services, patient satisfaction, cleanliness and the overall quality of care. He said high-performing doctors and staff would be recognised, while action would be taken against those found negligent.The minister also said that patient footfall at govt hospitals has increased due to improved medical services, while private hospitals have witnessed a decline in the number of patients seeking treatment. “The trend reflects growing public confidence in the state’s public healthcare system. More doctors are showing interest in joining govt service, which was evident from recent recruitment drives,” the minister added.
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