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The Association of Healthcare Providers (India) that launched its Gujarat chapter recently, plans to discuss issues like power tariff for hospitals etc with the state government besides working on educating healthcare providers on patient safety related issues.
Girdhar Gyani, director general, AHPI said that, "Our main purpose is educating and advocating for the well being of the common patient, and thereby address issues that plague the healthcare sector. Take for example, the case of electricity tariff. There are four categories of electricity tariff, agricultural, household, industrial and commercial. Hospitals come under the commercial category. However, they consume a lot of electricity as they operate intensive care units, operation theatres etc, which need round the clock airconditioning etc, and all this is for patient safety. Our Karnataka chapter has successfully managed to negotiate with the state government to bring down the electric tariff for hospitals by around 15 per cent. In fact, a special category for hospitals has been created, where the tariff charged is a tad lower than what is charged to industry."
Besides, the association plans to take up issues like streamlining of several government healthcare schemes like the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Employees' State Insurance (ESI), where the government usually seeks the partnership of private healthcare providers.
"There is an issue about regularising the rates, as several non-recognised nursing homes etc quote lower rates and these are taken as the standard. The government then expects the big corporates to deliver at those rates," Gyani said.
As of now, around 60 hospitals from across Gujarat have become members of the association. AHPI also aims to take up the issue of educating these hospitals about patient safety norms and preventive medication etc. The association has around 7,000 members across the country, and is now working to organise them into chapters. It has launched the Karnataka and Gujarat chapters, and now plans to add one chapter each in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.
Also, the association has taken up the issue of granting industry status to hospitals at a national level with the Centre so that the sector is eligible for certain benefits.
Girdhar Gyani, director general, AHPI said that, "Our main purpose is educating and advocating for the well being of the common patient, and thereby address issues that plague the healthcare sector. Take for example, the case of electricity tariff. There are four categories of electricity tariff, agricultural, household, industrial and commercial. Hospitals come under the commercial category. However, they consume a lot of electricity as they operate intensive care units, operation theatres etc, which need round the clock airconditioning etc, and all this is for patient safety. Our Karnataka chapter has successfully managed to negotiate with the state government to bring down the electric tariff for hospitals by around 15 per cent. In fact, a special category for hospitals has been created, where the tariff charged is a tad lower than what is charged to industry."
Besides, the association plans to take up issues like streamlining of several government healthcare schemes like the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Employees' State Insurance (ESI), where the government usually seeks the partnership of private healthcare providers.
"There is an issue about regularising the rates, as several non-recognised nursing homes etc quote lower rates and these are taken as the standard. The government then expects the big corporates to deliver at those rates," Gyani said.
As of now, around 60 hospitals from across Gujarat have become members of the association. AHPI also aims to take up the issue of educating these hospitals about patient safety norms and preventive medication etc. The association has around 7,000 members across the country, and is now working to organise them into chapters. It has launched the Karnataka and Gujarat chapters, and now plans to add one chapter each in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.
Also, the association has taken up the issue of granting industry status to hospitals at a national level with the Centre so that the sector is eligible for certain benefits.
