Mizoram invites private hospitals to join health scheme amid Synod Hospital rate row

The Mizoram government has invited non-empanelled private hospitals with facilities comparable to Synod Hospital in Aizawl to join the Mizoram Universal Health Care Scheme (MUHCS) at rates agreed upon with the church-run institution, amid a controversy over reimbursement rates and allegations of preferential treatment.

In a notification issued on October 15, the Health and Family Welfare Department said it had taken note of media reports that several hospitals were willing to join the scheme at the rates approved for Synod Hospital.

“The government is ready to empanel any non-empanelled hospital in Mizoram having facilities comparable to those of Synod Hospital at the rates agreed upon with the latter,” the notification stated.

The clarification comes amid objections from private healthcare providers over the higher rates approved for Synod Hospital.

Health Minister Lalrinpuii rejected allegations that the hospital had received preferential treatment, saying its silver-grade classification was based on its infrastructure, 350-bed capacity, equipment, specialities, availability of doctors and overall quality of healthcare.

She said hospitals under MUHCS were graded according to these parameters and that rates could not be directly compared across different categories.

According to the minister, Synod Hospital had held extensive negotiations with the government before joining the scheme and agreed to reduce several of its proposed rates. While some package rates were approved below the hospital's existing charges, others were allowed to remain slightly higher, she said.

Lalrinpuii added that the existing agreement between the government and Synod Hospital would expire in October. Both sides were reviewing the rates before signing a fresh agreement, with the revised rates to be worked out on the basis of MUHCS base rates.

Meanwhile, Aizawl Hospital, Ebenezer Medical Center and Trinity Hospital, three major private healthcare facilities in the state capital and members of the Non-Government Hospital Association of Mizoram (NGHAM), have expressed willingness to join the scheme if offered rates similar to those approved for Synod Hospital.

The NGHAM, however, has questioned Synod Hospital's silver-grade classification. The association argued that no hospital in Mizoram qualified for the gold grade and that Synod Hospital should not be placed above the bronze grade. It maintained that Ebenezer Medical Center, Trinity Hospital and LRM Hospital qualified for silver grade.

According to the association, the MUHCS grading system allows hospitals to charge up to 10 per cent above base rates for grades ranging from below bronze to upper crest, 20 per cent for bronze grade, 30 per cent for silver grade and 40 per cent for gold grade.

The NGHAM alleged that the rates currently approved for Synod Hospital were 100 per cent above the scheme's base rates, significantly exceeding the limits it said were prescribed under the grading system.

The government's latest notification could open the door for more private hospitals to join MUHCS, although the dispute over hospital classifications and reimbursement rates remains unresolved.