Govt hospital earmarks 15 beds for pay ward

Coimbatore: The Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has earmarked 15 beds in the facility that shall be converted to a pay ward.
The pay ward concept is successfully implemented in four government hospitals in Chennai, where patients can opt to stay in separate rooms by paying a little money, a health department source said.
CMCH authorities have planned it like a dormitory, where two to four patients share a room or a patient and their attender opt for a suite. “We recently sent a proposal to the Tamil Nadu medical services corporation to implement the pay ward concept,” hospital dean Dr A Nirmala said. “Some patients may be reluctant to undergo treatment in a general ward along with other patients. This is why they select private facilities. The pay ward concept may attract more patients to the government facility.”
The hospital has not decided on the room tariff, the dean said. “We plan to introduce suites, shared rooms like a dormitory with individual and common restrooms.”
Patients at Stanley Medical College pay 5,000 for two weeks’ stay, the source said. “The tariff will vary from hospital to hospital.”