The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to draw up a comprehensive roadmap with a regulation to curb the diversion of inpatients from government-run hospitals to private healthcare centres.

A division bench of Justice S Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho passed the order on Wednesday on the alleged engagement of agents and middlemen by private hospitals to shift the patients from government health institutions to private health centres by pressure tactics.

Petitioner Chittaranjan Mohanty had sought the court’s intervention in the matter alleging that “in the government hospital premises, some agents of the private hospitals are alluring the people and in some cases, the patients are pressured to get admitted in the private hospitals”.

The state does not run the hospitals with efficiency and as consequence; irregularity and inadequacies in services are ruling the roost, the petitioner pointed out.

“We are of the view that those persons/agents cannot be allowed to operate in the Government Hospital and for that reason, the Government should come up with a regulation to stop entry of such persons, in order to stop such activities as alleged. In the affidavit that would be filed (by the government”, as we direct the State to file such an affidavit, the Government shall also spell out whether they are in a position to enact such regulation”, the division bench stated.

The state (is directed) to file an additional affidavit by giving a comprehensive road map for improvement of the hospital services in Odisha and to regulate the activities of the undesirable persons who are engaged to pressurize or influence the poor patients to go to the private hospital for their health care. Such additional affidavit shall be filed within 27 June, 2023.

We are constrained to observe that the affidavit filed earlier by the State does not contain any road-map for improvement of hospitals in the State of Odisha. There are several categories of hospitals, operating for the health care of the citizens. The Government Hospitals are open for all, rich or poor. Anyone may come for service from those hospitals, the HC observed while posting the matter for further hearing on 27 July next.