Dna had reported on May 5 earlier this year – 'Maternity homes turn into super-specialty hospitals, flout BMC norms,' on BMC's failing Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, where the errant private players and charitable trusts who violate norms were profiled.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has instructed Balaji Heart Hospital and Diagnostic Centre in Byculla East to hand over possession of the premises by September 8, failing which the civic body will shut down the hospital by September 14. The land was handed over to the hospital at a subsidized rate of Re 1 per square meter for ten years, under the public private partnership by the BMC on August 4, 2004. Following the expiry of the contract in 2014, BMC issued several notices to the hospital to comply with norms but to no avail. "The BMC has decided to not renew the contract with the hospital and the Ward E officials have begun action to take over the hospital," said Sanjay Deshmukh, additional commissioner (health), BMC.
Dna had reported on May 5 earlier this year – 'Maternity homes turn into super-specialty hospitals, flout BMC norms,' on BMC's failing Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, where the errant private players and charitable trusts who violate norms were profiled.
Of twenty BMC maternity homes in the city handed over to private and charitable players to be run on PPP models over the past ten years, fifteen have violated norms. "Most are not reserving 20% beds for poor patients as mandated by BMC. They are running for-profit multi-speciality units and have also made additions and alterations to structures in violation of the agreement," said Deshmukh.
The hospitals that have been served termination notices include – Niti Lifeline in Dahisar, Gawde Hospital in Vile Parle East, Mangala Nursing Home and Ravindra Joshi Nursing Home in Andheri East, Manav Mandir Hospital in Borivali East, BSES Brahmakumari Hospital in Andheri, Surana Sethia Hospital in Malad and Apex Hospitals in Borivali and Mulund amongst others. "Some of these have moved the high court against the termination notices. However, as and when their lease expires it won't be renewed," said Deshmukh.
Balaji Hospital in Byculla, was erected in the place of BMC's Victoria Maternity Home in 2004, boasts of being a cardiac specialty set up much to the contrary of the PPP agreement which states that it should strictly be run as a maternity home. While a maternity home should have full-time gynaecologists on board, Balaji Hospital (which is registered as a maternity home on paper), has been conducting a gynaecology clinic only twice a week for two hours on Monday and Thursday. At times, there is not even one female gynaec patient in 110-bedded hospital. "There are barely any deliveries conducted in the hospital," said a nurse at Balaji Hospital. Property tax dues worth Rs 18, 97, 210 are to be recovered till date by BMC.
Till date, BMC needs to recover over Rs 4.5 crores worth dues in rentals, water bills, electricity bills and property tax from up to 32 PPP medical set-ups including private or charitable-run dispensaries, dialysis centres and maternity homes.
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