Aizawl, Oct 15 The Mizoram government on Thursday said all non-empanelled hospitals in the state with facilities comparable to Synod Hospital here could join the Mizoram Universal Health Care Scheme (MUHCS) at the rates agreed upon with the church-run institution, amid a controversy over reimbursement rates.
In a notification, the Health and Family Welfare department said it had taken note of reports in a section of the media that several non-empanelled hospitals were willing to join MUHCS at rates agreed upon with Synod hospital.
“The government is ready to empanel any non-empanelled hospital in Mizoram having facilities comparable to those of Synod Hospital at the rates agreed upon with the latter,” the notification said.
The clarification came amid questions over the higher rates approved for Synod Hospital and allegations that the institution had received preferential treatment.
Health Minister Lalrinpuii, however, rejected the allegations, saying Synod Hospital had been accorded silver-grade status under MUHCS based on its infrastructure, 350-bed capacity, equipment, specialities, availability of doctors and overall quality of healthcare.
She said hospitals participating in the scheme were graded on the basis of infrastructure, equipment, bed strength, specialities, availability of doctors and the overall quality of healthcare.
The minister maintained that Synod Hospital’s rates could not be directly compared with those of hospitals in lower grades and denied that it had received any special concession.
Lalrinpuii said Synod Hospital had held extensive negotiations with the government before joining the scheme and had agreed to reduce several of its proposed rates.
While some package rates were approved below the hospital’s existing rates, others were allowed to remain slightly higher, she said.
The minister said the existing agreement between the government and Synod Hospital would expire in October, and both sides were reviewing the rates before signing a fresh agreement.
The revised rates would be worked out on the basis of MUHCS base rates, she added.
Meanwhile, Aizawl Hospital, Ebenezer Medical Center and Trinity Hospital, three major private healthcare facilities in the state capital that are members of the Non-Government Hospital Association of Mizoram (NGHAM), have said they would be willing to join the scheme if offered rates similar to those agreed upon with Synod Hospital.
The NGHAM disputed Synod Hospital’s silver-grade classification, claiming that no hospital in the state qualified for gold grade and that Synod Hospital should not be placed above bronze grade.
The association maintained that Ebenezer Medical Center, Trinity Hospital and LRM Hospital qualified for silver grade.
According to the NGHAM, the MUHCS grading system permits hospitals to charge up to 10 per cent above base rates for grades ranging from below bronze to upper crest, 20 per cent for bronze grade, 30 per cent for silver grade and 40 per cent for gold grade.
The association claimed that the rates currently approved for Synod Hospital were 100 per cent above the MUHCS base rates.
(PTI News)
