Gujarat govt announces new SOPs for Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government today announced the new Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY). At Narmada Hall in the state capital, the state’s health minister, Rushikesh Patel, announced new guidelines for various treatments under the scheme.

As per the new SOPs for Cardiology Services, considering technical aspects, improvements in the specialty are deemed necessary. In light of this, the state government has issued immediate updates to the guidelines for cardiology services.

To make the best decisions in the patient’s interest, it has been decided that only full-time centers with cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons will be recognized for the cardiology cluster. This will enable the joint, best decision-making for the benefit of the beneficiary. Additionally, hospitals will be required to employ full-time cardiac anesthetists and physiotherapists.

In special cases where emergency treatment is absolutely necessary, only centers providing cardiology services will be authorized to perform angioplasty.

Hospitals must upload the CD/video of angiography and angioplasty at the time of the procedure. In emergency cases, the CD/video must be uploaded after the treatment.

Furthermore, following recommendations from specialists, new guidelines have been created for oncology, i.e., various cancer treatment procedures.

To determine the appropriate treatment plan for cancer patients based on their needs, a joint panel of medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and radiation oncologists will make decisions in the form of a tumor board. The patient’s treatment plan will be decided and recorded in the Tumor Board Certificate (TBC). Uploading the TBC is mandatory.

To ensure patients receive the best cancer treatment, it is mandatory to use CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) images in KV (kilovolt) for IGRT (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy). Detailed guidelines have also been created regarding which tumors can be treated with this therapy.

Necessary improvements have been made to the radiation therapy packages to ensure easy access to appropriate treatments and packages for cancer treatment.

For cancers commonly found in women, such as cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, and other cancers where brachytherapy is required, only hospitals with brachytherapy facilities will provide treatment under the PMJAY scheme. No tie-up will be allowed for brachytherapy in other hospitals.

Hospitals will be required to follow the quality control standards for radiation therapy machines and maintain records accordingly.

For Neonatal Intensive Care Unit/Special Newborn Care Unit, the SOP states that hospitals must ensure the installation of CCTV cameras in NICU/SNCU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit/Special Newborn Care Unit) to provide quality care for children while maintaining the privacy of mothers.

THO (Taluka Health Officer) must periodically visit the NICU and submit reports to the SHA (State Health Authority).An online visit module portal will soon be operational, enabling effective monitoring of every visit. To ensure round-the-clock treatment for children, full-time pediatricians are mandatory for empanelment in neonatal specialties. As per the guidelines of the pediatric hospital scheme, nursing staff must be employed in proportion to the number of patient beds.