PATNA:Â Bihar government on Monday launched a grievance redressal mechanism wherein people of the state can lodge their complaints related to health issues with the state health department to get them addressed in a time-bound manner.
Inaugurating the scheme, health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said people can now dial a toll-free number — 1911 — and register their complaints. He said during his ‘Gram Swasthya Chetna Yatra’, people came to him in large numbers with their complaints. It was, therefore, felt necessary to develop a mechanism where all complaints get lodged, so that they are redressed on time.
Terming the plan a continuation of ‘Swasth Bihar Muhim’, Choubey said the mechanism would bring transparency in the functioning of health department and check corruption. He said, “Any person can come forward and lodge his complaint on health concerns that include hospitals, doctors, medical staff and NGOs, and action would be taken on it.”
The minister hoped this would bring change in the present work culture and added he would himself monitor the scheme every week.
Health secretary Sanjay Kumar said people can lodge their complaint in three ways – on toll-free number, 1911; through SMS on mobile number 9711981981; or through Internet on the website of the State Health Society (SHS) where a link of ‘grievance redressal system’ has been provided. In all the three ways, the system would automatically generate a complaint number, which would help the complainant to use it for further reference.
Those lodging complaint by dialling the toll-free number would be given a complaint number by the call centre employee instantly, while those sending text messages through SMS would get their complaint number through message, Kumar said adding an e-mail would be sent to those who lodge their complaints online on the SHS website (www.statehealthsocietybihar.org). People can also record their suggestions so that the grievances could be redressed in an effective and phased manner, he said.
Choubey, on the occasion, announced that after the successful launch of ‘Nayi Pidhi Swasthya Guarantee Yojana’ providing health cards to 3.4 crore children under 14 years, the government was in the process of making a road map to provide health cards to students, widows, senior citizens and physically challenged persons. “We are evaluating how they can be integrated into health insurance schemes,” Choubey said, adding the state government aimed to provide heath insurance to its 10 crore people. “We aim to provide health cards to every family of the state,” he added.