Govt opens up healthcare to private sector in a big way

Mumbai: The state government has entered into a partnership with global healthcare giant GE Healthcare for setting up advanced diagnostic and imaging facilities in 22 hospitals.

A consortium of Wipro GE Healthcare will run these 24/7 diagnostic facilities.

Patients from below the poverty line, orphan and senior citizens, will get free services at these centres. Also, patients admitted to these hospitals and outpatients can get the services at subsidized rates. But the private partner can charge private patients as per market rates. CM Prithviraj Chavan on Friday announced the arrangement and termed it a giant leap in advancing healthcare to people.

However, questions have been raised that the private partner was being allowed access at dirt-cheap rates. For 10 hospitals in the Marathwada belt, it will be paying the government Rs 22 lakh and Rs 32 lakh for facilities at the remaining 12 hospitals.

Public health minister Suresh Shetty said revenue was never the motivating factor behind the partnership. "Our intention is to provide quality diagnostic services at concessional rates to common citizens." He pointed out that the consortium was selected through a transparent bidding process.

Shetty also said that owing to a dearth of diagnostic facilities, patients from government hospitals were often referred to private clinics and ended up paying more. "A decision to outsource imaging facilities was taken three years ago owing to a dearth of such facilities and shortage of radiologists and technicians. Procurement of modern-day diagnostic facilities on its own would have cost the government Rs 200 crore," Shetty said.

A separate tender will be floated for hospitals in the Vidarbha region, which are not covered under this arrangement.

The public health department has 19 CT scans and X-ray machines at present. It does not have any MRI or mammography machine. Shetty said that the existing facilities will be shifted to rural and peripheral hospitals.