MCH referral system to be introduced in district

Thiruvananthapuram: Referral system in the medical college hospital is being implemented on a pilot basis in Thiruvananthapuram, said health minister Veena George on Wednesday. Along with the referral system, a back-referral system will also be implemented here.
This system is being introduced to reduce the flow of patients to the medical college hospital (MCH) and ensure specialized treatment in primary and secondary hospitals. For this, it has been ensured that specialized treatment is available right from the general hospitals to taluk hospitals in the district, said George, after a high-level meeting convened here on Wednesday.
If a specialized treatment facility is available at a particular hospital then the patient shouldn’t be referred to the MCH, she said. In every hospital there should be a referral register and the doctor should clearly mention the reasons for referring a patient to MCH, she added.
“When a doctor is referring a patient to MCH, then there should be a valid reason for this. Based on the treatment facilities available and the patient’s health condition, the doctor can decide on referring,” said George.
Before a patient is referred, the referring hospital or doctor should ensure the availability of the bed, ICU and ventilator at the MCH. The MCH control room should be informed before the patient is referred such that all facilities can be kept ready there for the patient.
Presently, the service of super-specialty doctors has been made available at taluk hospitals. Specialty clinics are also being conducted at the primary healthcare centre and family healthcare centres. Without using these facilities, no patient should be referred unnecessarily to the MCH, said the health minister.
Overcrowding at the MCH should be controlled. The MCHs have been equipped with emergency and specialized treatment facilities. Hence the neediest patients should get appropriate care for which crowd management should be implemented, she said.
It has also been decided to implement back-referring after giving specialized treatments at the MCHs. The patient can obtain the follow-up treatment from other hospitals where the patient has been referred, said the minister.