Bill to punish hospitals for turning away emergency patients

New Delhi(PTI): Private hospitals and practitioners will not be able to turn away an emergency patient if a bill drafted by the Law Commission takes the shape of a law.

The Commission in a draft bill on accident victims and emergency patients, which includes expecting women, seeks to make it binding on the hospital or the doctors to admit, stabilise or transfer, if required, to another hospital irrespective of whether victim can pay or has medical insurance or not.

The hospital cannot refuse the accident victim even on the ground that it was a medico-legal case and that it can be attended to only by a designated hospital of the jurisdiction, the draft bill says.

Under Indian laws, the case of a person getting an injury, whether by accident or inflicted, must go through the process of court. Thus, he can be examined and treated only by the designated government hospitals, which are usually few and far between.

The private hospitals turn away such patients as the treatment may be viewed by the court as interference in the process of law.

As a result many a patient battling for life lose it out as he is taken from hospital to hospital, without finding any medical help.

But private hospitals are also routinely turning away patients when they find the patients cannot pay, or does not have an insurance cover.

Indication for amendments in Corporate Governance & Financial Reporting Norms

SMC Global (SMC), one of reputed financial services providers in India and ASSOCHAM organized a National Conference on "Corporate Governance & Financial Reporting Norms" A US GAAP & IFRS Perspective on 20th September, 2007. Mr. P.C. Gupta, Hon'ble Minister of Company Affairs, Mr Sunil Talati, President, ICAI, Mr M Ramadoss, CMD, Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. and D.K. Mehrotra, Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation discussed various issues on Corporate Governance and Financial Reporting norms. CFOs from top 500 Indian companies and multinationals had also participated in the event.

According to Mr. P. C. Gupta, “Government has been keen to extend all possible help and we want our professionals to seize the opportunities emerging today in view of globalization of the market place. In order to achieve these objectives, it has been necessary to take steps to bring greater transparency and accountability.

He also said, that “the Govt is considering a major revision in Companies Act 1956 and will also be introducing Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).”

He also highlighted “the e-Governance Program MCA 21 as a major step to help enable companies to a higher growth path.”

The full day conference discussed topics such as Accounting framework, Financial Statements, Consolidated Financial Statements including those of subsidiaries, various business combinations, Segment Reporting and Revenue Recognition.

The summit was the appropriate platform to bring together experts to pave the right way to this transformation into the current globalised scenario.