Corporators cutting across party lines on Tuesday demanded at the BMC general body meeting that agreements with charitable bodies that run hospitals on BMC land and violate their memorandum of understanding (MoU) should be terminated.
Corporators cutting across party lines on Tuesday demanded at the BMC general body meeting that agreements with charitable bodies that run hospitals on BMC land and violate their memorandum of understanding (MoU) should be terminated.
Dna's report on May 5 – 'Maternity homes turn into super speciality hospitals, flout BMC norms' - spoke about BMC's failing Public Private Partnership (PPP) model where up to 32 private players, who are running services on BMC allotted land, owe collective dues of over Rs4.5 crores to the civic body. BMC had entered into a PPP with private players and trusts to run maternity homes, dialysis centres and dispensaries. Balaji Hospital in Byculla, Apex Hospital in Mulund and Saboo Siddique Hospital in Imambada, amongst others, are running full fledged super speciality hospitals in place of maternity homes without BMC's permission.
BJP corporator and member of BMC's health committee, Ashwin Vyas, raised the issue of the PPP model and how it was misused by the charitable bodies for their profit.
Earlier, BMC had terminated the treaty with DY Patil Medical College for not paying dues worth Rs20 crore. "Even though the treaty has been terminated as DY Patil is a major defaulter, the civic body is still to recover a substantial amount from them," said Dr Suhasini Nagda, director, medical education and major hospitals, BMC.
"Charitable trusts running hospitals on BMC land have to pay crores of rupees to BMC for setting up the facilities, but none of the hospitals do that. Besides DY Patil Medical College, Brahmakumari Hospital in Andheri (West) and SevenHills in Andheri (East) are the other big names that owe the civic body," alleged Vyas, while speaking on the floor of the House.
Vyas also pointed out that the civic body was responsible for the situation. "While office of the additional municipal commissioner, Sanjay Deshmukh, gives information in reply to RTI, deputy chief engineer of the PPP department claims in the reply there are no defaulters," said Vyas.
The BMC is planning to tighten the noose on the private players that erroneously run PPP services. "A PPP monitoring cell will be set up to review the programme annually for five years. After this, a bi-annual audit will be carried out. Currently, hospitals fail to provide adequate free services to the poor. The agreements of those who have violated terms will either not be renewed or there will be a model to impose fines," said Dr Nagda.
Corporators from all political parties supported Vyas and demanded that the BMC cut ties with such defaulting charitable bodies or health centres and the MoUs be terminated. However, they also raised concern that the centres which are doing their work with dedication and genuinely helping the poor should not be victimised.
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