THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Veena George has called for a meeting to streamline the application process for patients under various healthcare schemes. She has proposed the implementation of a single-window system to simplify the process and ensure that patients do not need to visit multiple offices.
The decision was prompted after her visit to the medical college hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
In a statement, the minister emphasised that beneficiaries of the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) should not face any issues due to the downtime of the national website.
Furthermore, the minister instructed the Director of the Medical Education Department to promptly investigate cases related to prescribing drugs from outside sources and the reluctance to dispense drugs that are available in the pharmacy.
Complaints regarding the unavailability of medicines from Neethi Medical Store for KASP beneficiaries should also be investigated without delay. Veena also stressed the need for head nurses and nursing superintendents to closely monitor the cleanliness activities.
During the meeting, the minister highlighted the issue of increasing patient numbers in medical colleges due to ineffective referrals and back referrals.
“Referral of patients to medical college should strictly follow the criteria. The Quality Improvement Initiative was launched to improve the quality of the medical college,” she said. The minister will hold a meeting of peripheral hospitals to streamline the referral system.