Association of Hospital (AOH), one of the oldest and trusted associations in healthcare of Mumbai. Its members, the Public Charitable Trust Hospitals provide the treatment to poor patients with finest healthcare services available in the country. AOH members spent about Rs. 80 crores in providing treatment to poor patients last year.
For this initiative the member hospitals of AOH have set up an Indigent Patient Fund where they set aside at least 2% of their annual turnover. They are not receiving any grants or any exemption from government for the purpose. Other than indigent patient fund they also provide concessions to other penurious patients. These facilities are provided only to the genuinely needy people who are unable to pay for minor or major treatments for healthy living. AOH member hospitals provide best healthcare services to these patients.
Commenting on the contribution by member hospitals Dr. P.M. Bhujang – President, Association of Hospitalssaid “Medical expenses are experiencing a steep rise in today’s age. It is very difficult for a common man to face expenses incurred due to uncalled medical emergencies. AOH members are giving and will continue to give the best medical treatments to the society to improve the overall healthcare standard of India.”
“Our member hospitals have also provided treatment during major hazardous situations like Bomb Blasts, Swine flu and other epidemics without any expectation of fees. All the charitable hospitals earlier used to get exemption from payment of Property tax and Octroi to BMC as well as concession in the payment of electricity bills. These exemption and concession are not available for the many years now but the member hospitals still and will continue to provide free and concessional treatment to poor patients” he further added.
Out of about more than 8500 operational beds in the member hospitals in Maharashtra, 20% are earmarked for poor & treat them either free or at concessional rate. Of these 20%, 10% beds are for patients availing treatment free of cost, 10% for patients availing treatment at a concessional rate. The patient whose earning per year is up to Rs. 50,000/- are given free treatment and those whose earning is between Rs. 50,000/- and Rs. 1, 00,000/- per year are given treatment at concessional rate.
Diagnostic facilities like laboratory tests and use of other equipment ranging for x-ray to all sophisticated equipment for CT scan & MRI are used for both paying patients as well as those availing charitable treatment. The same doctors and surgeons, who treat the paying patients, also treat the poor patients. Thus there is no discrimination between paying and poor patients in terms of doctors, medical facilities and equipment.
