Pvt parties invited to run 5 hospitals on PMC premises

At least five buildings reserved by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to function as civic hospitals have been vacant for the last 7-8 years. The main hurdle in turning them to hospitals is staff crunch.

The PMC runs 15 hospitals and nursing homes in the city but beds have not grown proportionately to the population, as a recent RTI query by an activist reveals.

Feeling the need for more hospitals to cater to the growing population, the civic health department has invited private parties to set up hospitals with a rider that the PMC will utilise a percentage of the annual income from these hospitals to run health schemes for the urban poor.

Buildings admeasuring 10,000 sq ft to 22,000 sq ft are ready along the Bhau Patil Road, Nagpur Chowl, Kothrud, Kharadi and Wanowrie. Staff shortage is one of the key reasons the PMC could not start running hospitals at these places.

With staff crunch coming in the way of new civic hospitals, PMC decided to adopt the public private partnerships. The health department is, however, treading with caution in view of the opposition the Aundh Institute of Medical Science (AIMS), a multi-specialty hospital with private participation on land belonging to the Aundh General Hospital had initially faced following protests.

Dr S T Pardeshi, acting chief medical officer of PMC told The Indian Express that the basic aim of the PPP route is to collect the maximum possible revenue from this enterprise and invest it in health schemes for the urban poor. "This way we will be able to fund medical services for the poor and needy," Pardeshi added.

The proposal will be sent to the standing committee and the buildings will be given to private parties on Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis as per the ready reckoner rates. "We expect them to give a percentage of their annual income to the PMC," Pardeshi said.

... contd.

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