Three proposals to privatise ICUs approved

Mumbai: A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decision to hire private doctors to run intensive care units (ICUs) in municipal hospitals saw a heated debate in the civic standing committee meeting on Wednesday.

While the opposition members termed it as a ploy to privatise municipal health services, the ruling Shiv Sena defended it saying it will benefit a large number of patients, who are facing inconvenience due to a shortage of doctors in municipal hospitals.

The civic administration had tabled before the standing committee for approval of the proposal to appoint private organisations to run ICU units in 12 municipal hospitals. Four groups were formed with three civic hospitals in each group for floating the tenders.

Taking strong objection to the outsourcing policy, opposition leader Ravi Raja from the Congress demanded that all proposals should be scrapped. “A large number of vacancies of doctors in civic hospitals has not been filled. But the civic administration is planning to hire private doctors to run ICUs. The BMC has failed to provide adequate doctors to municipal hospitals,” he said.

Supporting Mr Raja, BJP group leader Manoj Kotak said, “There is a possibility that these doctors may use patients from municipal hospitals to promote their private practice. The BMC does not have any mechanism to prevent this.”

The BJP joined hands with the opposition members to defeat the first proposal for three hospitals – KB Bhabha Hospital, Bandra, VN Desai Hospital, Santacruz and Jogeshwari Trauma Centre.