Mamta Banerjee Launches Online Central Referral System at 5 Key Govt Hospitals

The referral system operates under the health management information system (HMIS) and will track bed occupancy levels in each hospital.

The West Bengal health department, under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, launched an online central referral system on Friday in five government-run medical colleges to streamline patient admissions.

The new system, now operational at SSKM Hospital, Medical College Hospital (MCH), NRS Hospital, RG Kar Medical College, and Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC), aims to manage bed availability more efficiently across these facilities.

According to Swasthya Bhawan, the health department headquarters, display boards will be installed next to the emergency wards in each of these hospitals, providing real-time information on bed availability to patient relatives and caregivers.

Reportedly, the boards are scheduled for installation starting Monday.

The online central referral system is a response to recent demands from the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF), which had urged the department to address challenges related to patient referrals and streamline the admission process in light of ongoing protests for various improvements in healthcare.

A medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal at one of the five hospitals, speaking anonymously, confirmed, "Swasthya Bhawan has initiated a central referral system to monitor patient admissions. The initial phase includes five medical colleges across Kolkata, linked under this central system."

The referral system operates under the health management information system (HMIS) and will track bed occupancy levels in each hospital.

According to a senior official from Swasthya Bhawan, the system will aid doctors in rural and district hospitals in referring patients based on their condition and available beds.

For instance, a rural hospital physician can refer a patient to a district hospital, which can then decide if the patient should be transferred based on the treatment required and bed availability.

Similarly, patients needing advanced care can be referred to one of the five designated medical colleges.

This central referral system is expected to improve efficiency in patient admissions and optimize resource allocation within the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

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