Stories
Keralam Hospitals Mandated to Display Doctor Details, OP Timings for Transparency
- •The Keralam government has directed all state-run hospitals to prominently display details of doctors, vacancies, and their OP timings to enhance transparency in healthcare services.
- •The directive applies to all government health institutions, from primary health centres to taluk headquarters hospitals.
- •This action follows public complaints regarding the unavailability of doctors during OP hours and long patient waiting times.
- •Hospitals must display the total number of sanctioned doctor posts, currently working doctors, and vacancies, along with each doctor's OP/consultation timings, updated regularly.
- •The initiative aims to make healthcare services more transparent and patient-friendly, also requiring the display of grievance redressal mechanisms and contact numbers for vigilance officers and hospital superintendents.
Key Questions Answered
State-run hospitals must prominently display details of doctors, including the total number of sanctioned posts, working doctors, vacancies, and their outpatient consultation timings. Additionally, institutions must show information related to the grievance redressal mechanism, such as contact numbers for the hospital superintendent and the concerned Deputy District Medical Officer for vigilance.
The directive was issued following public complaints regarding the functioning of public health institutions. Issues included doctors being unavailable during outpatient hours and patients facing long waiting periods, prompting the government to take steps for greater transparency and patient-friendly healthcare.
The new directive applies to all government health institutions across the state, ranging from primary health centres up to taluk headquarters hospitals.