Almora CHC not to be run on PPP mode

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 20

With the inquiry underway against a private player and the performance of the Community Health Centres (CHC) under the public private partnership (PPP) mode being questioned, the Department of Health and Family Welfare has decided not to run the Almora CHC under the mode.

“We have decided not to go ahead with the tendering process for the community health centre in Almora. However, we will go ahead with the process for the CHC in Tehri. When we introduced the PPP model in the health sector, we were the first state in the country to do. No system can be foolproof. There were several technicalities concerning signing of the memorandum of understanding with the private partners, which we have discovered on the way, were overlooked. We are now evaluating the entire process,” said Om Prakash, Principal Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare. The department had started the tendering process for two Community Health Centres in Almora and Tehri a month ago.

While taking the decision on the Almora CHC, the department also factored in protests by locals, who were against the PPP mode. The department had opted for the PPP mode to run the CHC as it has been without adequate medical staff for long. However, locals protested the decision of handing over the CHC to a private partner.

“Some private chemists, who have their vested interests, are behind the protests. They are being actively supported by the employed staff that fear once the CHC is in private hands they would be transferred out of Almora,” said Om Prakash.

The inquiry initiated by the department against Rajbhara medicare Private Ltd, which was running the Raipur CHC, has confirmed that it used expired chemicals for carrying out pathological tests. The Director General Health and Family Welfare has recommended registering of a case against it.