Doctors not happy with outsourcing of medical camps

Kuldeep Chauhan

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Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 4

The outsourcing of 50 medical camps under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has not gone down well with doctors of two medical colleges. They feel that the health care is being compromised this way.

The NRHM state directorate has outsourced 50 multi-specialty mega medical camps to four private hospitals and made it mandatory for the authorities to specify the names of the doctors performing surgeries during the camps.

But the doctors at the IGMC, Shimla, Tanda medical college and members of the Himachal Medical Officers Association are not happy with the decision.

The Health Department has denied them an opportunity to serve patients while the NHRM is giving Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh to private hospitals for each camp. The money could have been used for the improvement of health services in rural health centres or hospitals, they said.

They said the private players were using logistics of the government to perform surgeries during the camps. “The government is involving the Chief Medical Officers for the camps, but the money is being paid to the private players, who do not send the logistics to the remote areas,” said the association members.

Patients come for follow-ups whenever such camps are organised at government hospitals, the doctors said. There is no mention of the specialists by these private hospitals, raising question over health care, they said.

The government has outsourced 50 free camps to four hospitals — Balaji Hospital (Kangra), Akash Hospital (Delhi), Indus Hospital (Mohali), and Mission Hospital (Manali).

Each multi-specialty camp lasts seven days and the treatment is affordable.

NRHM mission director Hansraj Sharma said the department had been organising such camps for the past four years. Free medicines are provided to the patients. The private players use operation theatres and other hospital services to make the camps hazard-free, he added.

“To ensure quality care this time, the four hospitals have been asked to specify the names of each specialist performing surgeries and treating patients at the camps,” Hansraj said.

”The camps are under way. They use their own logistics, which may not be available in the government set-up in remote areas and provide free medicines and treatment to the patients,” he said.