Charity Commissioner’s office to inspect all hospitals run by trusts

The Charity Commissioner's office will soon chalk out a plan to inspect all hospitals run by trusts to examine if they are spending two per cent of their revenue to treat the poor.

"We have to notify inspection of hospitals in advance. All hospitals send a monthly report giving details on treatment of their patients. However, it is virtually impossible to go back to each hospital to confirm these figures. Therefore, it is necessary to form a strategy whereby we can see whether or not patients are getting the treatment they are entitled to," an official in the Charity Commissioner's office said.

A couple of days after the state labour minister Hassan Mushrif sent a letter to the Charity Commissioner regarding the treatment of poor patients in private hospitals, the commissioner's office has decided to examine the matter. Over 40 private hospitals in the city registered under various trusts are required to spend two per cent of their revenue on the poor as per the Bombay Trust Act, 1950.

In his letter, Mushrif had claimed that he had received various complaints regarding misappropriation of funds and asked the Charity Commissioner to hold a review meeting with these hospitals at the earliest. V K Jadhav, who heads the commissioner's office, said: "We have taken cognisance of the minister's letter and started discussing our plan of action. We want the poor and needy to be granted the benefits they are entitled to as per the law and we shall take necessary steps."

Meanwhile, the state's ambitious healthcare scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana (RGJAY), which kicked off a month ago, is yet to be implemented in these hospitals. Hospitals claimed that they cannot reserve treatment under two schemes since they are already implementing the reservation for poor as required under the Bombay Trust Act.

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