‘Unhealthy’ PPP puts four health centres in crisis
Jul 10, 2015, 10.18 PM IST, Source
The public-private partnership mode of work was introduced by the health department of the state in 2013. Its functioning, however, has been far from ideal and there is now an attempt to revise contracts and strengthen the payment system for smoother operations at four health centres run in this mode. Doctors and paramedical staff at these centres boycotted work on Monday morning claiming that dues had not been cleared for over five months. Doctors have said that they will now only work after salaries are paid.
Community health centres at Raipur, Kalsi, Thatyud and Naugaon are being operated in the PPP mode. Work at these was stalled since Friday morning. Emergency services have also stopped. Patients are being moved to Doon Hospital and other government facilities in the district.
Rati Giri, spokesperson for one of the private firms managing a facility in collaboration with the government, said, "The health department has made it a habit to delay funds. For over five months now, we have not received a single penny. We managed for the first few months and paid salaries of the staff with the help of a bank loan. But the situation is now so bad that even banks have served us ultimatum." Giri said the private firm by now has incurred a debt of Rs 2 crore.
Giri said the private firm she represents is considering termination of the MoU signed with the state government.
Director general RP Bhatt of the health and family welfare department told TOI that plans were being finalized to revise and restructure the working of the PPP mode of operations, and the MoU would soon be revised.
"PPP is comparatively new for our state. We need dynamic change in the strategy, so there is better monitoring and strengthening of payments," Bhatt said.
He said he expected the new contract to be in place in a month, and urged private players to show some patience, until then.
"The firms need to see that they are not merely in profit-generating business; they are handling a highly technical and socially sensitive cause by providing health services," he said.
This state of affairs has now raised questions over the health department's ambitious effort to privatize most health services in the state, as there is a shortage of doctors at state-owned facilities.
Private firm staff told TOI that funds have not been released for the work at the Raipur community health centre since December. The three other health centres at Thatyud, Naugaon and Kalsi have not received funds since March, they said. These health centres serve as lifelines in their respective areas as there are no other government health facilities there.