BMC Hospitals under Govt scanner for procurement of medicines, hospital services

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will conduct a high-level inquiry into allegations of misappropriation in the purchase of medicines by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run hospitals.

As incidents of unauthorised hospitals came to light, Maharashtra Government has decided to initiate a high-level inquiry regarding the purchase of medicines supplied to the hospitals under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The decision came after Amin Patel, a Congress MLA, brought up the subject of medical amenities in hospitals run by civic bodies in the Assembly. Patel emphasised that providing clearance to unlicensed hospitals in Mumbai City has resulted in several incidences of fire outbreaks, patient abuse, and a lack of drug supplies in these hospitals. Industries Minister Uday Samant informed the Legislative Assembly that a White Paper on services provided by the BMC hospitals will also be presented.

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Ashish Shelar, a BJP MLA who took part in the conversation, gave a summary of Mumbai's medical services. He claimed that often when patients visit hospitals managed by the BMC, they had to arrange medicines and various other reports including X-rays and sonograms, from other facilities. He further added that this indicates corruption, which calls for a thorough investigation. 

He claimed that considering that Mumbai is the state capital of Maharashtra, a lot of patients from nearby areas travel there to seek treatment. “There are various hospitals in Mumbai including the municipal hospitals, hospitals run by the state government, private entities, charitable bodies, and hospitals for the central government workers but there is absolutely no coordination between all these hospitals. And hence, the state government must come up with a White Paper on the number of patients coming to Mumbai and whether are there adequate facilities to take care of them,” Shelar informed The Indian Express. 

The civic body spends almost Rs 4,000 crore on healthcare facilities annually on average, amounting to a total of Rs 20,000 crore over the previous five years.

"Roughly, this amount must have been spent on approximately 45,000 patients. But unfortunately, there is misappropriation in this service as well,” Shelar pointed out. The government should be responsible for reviewing and verifying services provided by hospitals under the jurisdiction of charity commissioner. The authorities must ensure whether the hospitals are following the directives laid down by the government, demanded Shelar.

He added that people are made to suffer because private hospitals charge outrageous prices for their medications and injections; as a result, the government needs to develop a rate card. Additionally, he urged that the government to build houses to accomodate the family members of cancer patients who travel to Mumbai for treatment.