Hajipur: Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar flagged shortcomings in patient referral procedures and medicine stock records during an unannounced inspection of Hajipur Sadar Hospital in Vaishali.
During the inspection, the minister reviewed the emergency ward, ICU, patient treatment, presence of doctors, medicine distribution and other hospital arrangements. He also interacted with patients to understand their treatment-related concerns and held discussions with doctors and healthcare workers.
According to Kumar, it was found that some patients had been referred without completing their primary examination and necessary procedures. He said instructions had been issued to investigate the cases and take necessary action. Hospital officials were also directed to securely maintain records of the entire referral process.
The minister said the objective of the government’s referral policy was not to stop referrals but to prevent unnecessary referrals. He said patients who could be treated at the district hospital should not be sent to medical colleges without medical necessity, while those requiring specialist care should be referred to higher centres in a timely manner.
Kumar also reviewed the medicine counter and stock records. He said that while online records were available, the offline stock register had not been updated. Officials were directed to maintain accurate and updated medicine records in both formats and regularly review stocks of essential medicines.
The minister also reviewed patient registration records and the total number of referrals made from the hospital. He said records were not being properly maintained at certain levels, although a reduction in unnecessary referrals was a positive development.
Kumar directed doctors and officials to keep patient and referral records organised and updated, saying accurate data would help authorities formulate strategies to further reduce unnecessary referrals and improve healthcare services.
During the inspection, the minister also emphasised that patients should receive timely, quality and compassionate treatment and should not face inconvenience because of unnecessary referrals, medicine shortages or lapses in hospital functioning.
Kumar said transparency, accountability and patient convenience in government hospitals should not be compromised and announced that surprise inspections and regular reviews of the referral system would continue.
The inspection comes as the Bihar government seeks to strengthen district-level healthcare services and ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment at district hospitals while being referred to higher centres when medically necessary.
