Chandigarh: To strengthen public healthcare delivery in the state, the Haryana additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Sumita Misra, on Wednesday mandated round-the-clock laboratory and radiology services in govt hospitals, compulsory night inspections by senior officers and strict action against negligence.Chairing a high-level review meeting, Sumita Misra warned that poor infrastructure maintenance, lax administration and patient inconvenience would not be tolerated. She announced surprise inspections and raids across hospitals to assess ground realities and ensure accountability.Chief medical officers, principal medical officers and senior medical officers attended the meeting.To improve supervision and patient care, CMOs, PMOs and SMOs were directed to conduct at least two rounds daily, including mandatory evening rounds. Govt hospitals have also been instructed to keep in-house laboratory facilities operational 24x7 so that patients are not forced to depend on private diagnostic centres.Sumita Misra also ordered uninterrupted functioning of X-ray, MRI and other radiology services, and directed hospitals to submit detailed audit reports on functional and non-functional equipment by next Monday.Immediate corrective action has been sought wherever machinery is lying defunct.Special emphasis was laid on dialysis care, with instructions to ensure that dialysis machines remain operational at all times. No patient should suffer because of equipment failure or staff shortages, said Misra.Focusing on women's safety and hygiene, she ordered hourly cleaning of toilets in women's wards and strengthening of security arrangements in hospital premises. Hospitals were also directed to ensure an uninterrupted drinking water supply and functional lifts for elderly and critically ill patients.Misra said strict action would be taken against officials failing to comply with govt directives. She also ordered FIRs against illegal private ambulances operating within govt hospital premises and intensified enforcement under the PNDT Act against illegal sex determination practices.MSID:: 131229946 413 |