Health department terminates contract of Rajbhra Medicare, Sheel Clinic

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand health department on Wednesday terminated the contract of two health service providers Rajbhra and Sheel Nursing Home which had been operating on a PPP mode in the state.
They have been provided a month’s time to handover the infrastructure and other items belonging to the health department which they had been using.
While Rajbhra Medicare allegedly indulged in inflating bills and manoeuvring the pathology test reports of patients to earn more profits, Sheel Clinic was reportedly not providing appropriate staff to run the community health centres given to it across different districts of the state.
The decision was taken a week ago by a panel comprising four experts from DG office who were directed by the high court to present their part as Rajbhra Medicare had taken stay on the earlier decision of health department to terminate their services after receiving complaints from the locals as well as youth wing of opposition parties.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in August, 2013 between the two companies and the health department. The contracts to run 12 community health centres (CHCs) were given to Sheel Clinic and Rajbhra Medicare.
Sheel clinic was asked to run the health centres of Gairsain, Munsyari, Chokhutiya, Bajpur, Lohaghat, Jakholi, Kapcot and Garampani. While on the other hand, Rajbhra medicare was given charge to run health centres of Raipur, Sahiya and Naugaon and Thathyud on PPP mode.
Director general of health services, Dr. Kusum Nariyal, said, "Re-tender will be done so that we can bring overall health services of Uttarakhand on track. Both companies have been given notice as decided by the experts' panel."
Earlier, chief minister Harish Rawat and health minister Surinder Singh Negi had confessed that they should not have relied on PPP mode for health services.