Hyderabad, November 06: The Arogyasri Health Care Trust admitted that certain hospitals did collect money from patients “due to poor understanding of the scheme and lack of awareness about the guidelines.”
It said disciplinary action was initiated against 25 such hospitals and it was ensured that money was returned to the beneficiaries.
Service deficiencies
Responding to a report published in these columns on Wednesday, the trust said disciplinary action was also taken against 89 hospitals for various service deficiencies.
Continuous monitoring
The trust and insurer were continuously monitoring the performance of the hospitals and quality of treatment and complaints were enquired into immediately using the elaborate grievance mechanism and 24-hour call centre.
Call centre
A round-the-clock call centre with toll-free number 1800-425-7788 was available for the beneficiaries to inform, guide and receive complaints.
Elaborate mechanism
The trust had also put in place an elaborate mechanism to prevent fraudulent use of the scheme and an empanelment and disciplinary committee under the chairmanship of Chief Medical Auditor to ensure quality services to patients and prevent unethical practices by the hospitals.
–Agencies