Govt’s policy pushes Doon Hospital into financial crisis

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 14

Despite handsome contribution to the government treasury through the user charges levied on the above poverty line (APL) patients, half of which goes into the government kitty, the financial health of the Doon Hospital continues to be in a perilous state.

In the month of August, the hospital created a record by tending around 50,000 patients at the general outdoor patient department and it managed to earn around Rs 7.45 lakh as user charge from them. Similarly, for the same month, the hospital earned around Rs 9 lakh from the MRI centre, Rs 4.5 lakh from the X-ray, Rs 10 lakh from private patients, Rs 1 lakh from the operation theatre, Rs 1.90 lakh from pathology. In all, in the month of August the hospital managed to earn around Rs 48.23 lakh as user charges, out of which it deposited around Rs 24 lakh in the treasury.

However, in more than one way the record number of patients and Uttarakhand government’s insistence to provide free diagnostic and other services to patients under the Chief Minister’s Insurance Scheme is contributing to the worsening health of the Doon Hospital.

“How long can you milk the Doon hospital, no effort is being made to service the machines,” said a senior doctor of the hospital.

In the dire need of cash to pay its mounting bills, the Doon hospital has been flatly told that it should not expect more and will receive only Rs 8.60 crore for this financial year. It has already received Rs 2.15 crore as first instalment in the month of June. While again Rs 2.15 crore was received for the second quarter today.

Though, for the year 2015-2016, the government allocated only Rs 16.96 crore.

Already bills of Rs 2.15 crore are pending against medicine purchases. While Rs 7 lakh has to be paid for petrol charges to the vendor. Till August, the hospital has pending bills of Rs 5.15 crore.

“The government has not been able to put in place a system where the Doon Hospital that attracts maximum number of patients is allocated funds in tune with its expenditure,” added the doctor.

While the hospital continues to wait for a generous dose of budgetary allocation, there are district hospitals in Almora, Pauri and Rudraprayag where the budgetary allocations continue to remain unutilised year after year.