Patients or their families can call a helpline number mentioned on the back of their Swasthya Sathi cards if they are refused admission by any hospital despite showing the card, the chairperson of the state clinical establishment regulatory commission said on Wednesday.
The helpline number is 18003455384.
When The Telegraph called the helpline at 6.35pm on Wednesday, the interactive voice response system said all representatives were busy attending other calls.
Retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the chairperson of the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission, said patients or those accompanying them should call the helpline while they are still in the hospital so that the Swasthya Sathi wing of the health department can immediately intervene and ensure admission.
The helpline functions 24X7, said Banerjee. He also provided four WhatsApp numbers where patients denied admission or their family members can send messages detailing their plight. The numbers are 9073313211, 9513108383, 8334-902900 and 9830164286.
“If a patient is refused admission by a private hospital despite producing the Swasthya Sathi card, those with the patient should call the helpline number mentioned on the back of the card,” Banerjee said.
