Pune : Patient Grievance Redressal Cell has been set up by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to address patient complaint against private hospitals. Patients can now lodge their grievances through the toll-free number 18002334151 between 10 am and 6.15 pm.
The PMC has termed it is a major step towards ensuring patient rights and holding private hospitals accountable. The campaign for setting up this cell has been going on for the past six months. According to the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration Act, every private and government hospital must display the information of the ‘Patient’s Rights Charter’, ‘Tariff Sheet’ and ‘Grievance Redressal Room’ for patients on the facade. A study was conducted on behalf of the ‘Patient Rights Campaign’ and ‘Saathi’ Pune to verify whether this is being implemented.
Between October 2022 and December 2022, a total of 40 private hospitals in the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation were inspected. In it, a serious matter came to light that despite the knowledge of patient welfare provisions from private hospitals, they are not being implemented. The PMC said that the grievance redressal cell is a significant step towards ensuring patients receive quality healthcare services and are not exploited by private hospitals. It is expected that with the establishment of the grievance redressal cell, patients will have a reliable and efficient mechanism to lodge their complaints and get prompt resolution.