BMC floats fresh tenders to outsource sonography in 25 maternity homes
Civic officials said that these services were under the PPP model for the past few years, and some contracts expired. "Their term is renewed every year, so we called for new bids," said Dr Daksha Shah, BMC's executive health officer.
A doctor at one of the maternity homes said there were no issues so far with the PPP-based sonography services. A basic ultrasound scan is priced at Rs 180, while the same scan during an emergency costs Rs 360. More advanced scans, including Colour Doppler, Nuchal Translucency scans, or tests for congenital anomalies, are capped at Rs 600.
However, for unions protesting the PPP model at Bhagwati Hospital and Lallubhai Compound Hospital, the tender is yet another reason to persist in their opposition. "We are against every PPP model because they have proven unreliable and lack accountability," said Ashok Jadhav, head of the Municipal Mazdoor Union.
He added that workers do not take at face value the assurances made by Union minister and Mumbai North MP Piyush Goyal that the hospitals will not be privatised. "He has no control over BMC. It is the state govt or the BMC administration that needs to make these statements. We have written several letters to BMC officials and received no response," Jadhav said.
A senior civic official stated that BMC's broader motivation to move towards a PPP model for tertiary care is to free up funds to strengthen primary healthcare services.
After initially considering a hunger strike, the union has now decided to hold a sit-in protest next week at Bhagwati Hospital. "If the administration fails to respond, a mass protest across all civic hospitals and departments will be held at Azad Maidan in June," Jadhav warned.
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