Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government has decided to do away with the income criterion for availing pay ward facilities in government hospitals, enabling all patients to access the service irrespective of their income, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Friday.

According to an official statement, the minister directed the Health Department Principal Secretary to issue necessary orders in this regard.

The existing norm had prevented many low-income patients from booking pay wards, the statement said.

It also noted that patients arriving at emergency departments often do not provide accurate income details while obtaining OP tickets due to the urgency of the situation. When they later seek to book a pay ward, the income criterion becomes a hurdle.

Under the current system, patients seeking to revise the income details have to submit an application to the hospital superintendent, obtain approval from the concerned official and complete further formalities with the medical records section.

The new decision would eliminate these procedural hurdles, the statement said.

Muraleedharan said the move was aimed at making healthcare services in government hospitals more patient-friendly and ensuring that better hospital facilities are available to all patients regardless of their financial status.