BENGALURU: Unlike the previous BJP government, the new health minister does not favour the public-private partnership (PPP) model in the health sector. He plans to review all projects approved so far and decide which should continue under the PPP model.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that none of the district hospitals or PHCs should be put under the model. Instead, the government should be more accountable for all hospital premises, doctors, nurses, and also for strengthening them.
The PPP model was largely promoted at the state and national level by the BJP government and 11 districts were identified in Karnataka, where medical colleges will be set up along with district hospitals. The districts included Tumakuru, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Bagalkot, Kolar, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Bengaluru Rural, Vijayapura, Vijayanagara and Ramanagaram.
Dr Sujatha Rathod, director, medical education department, explained, “The entire planning and discussion is at an early stage, except one model being introduced at a district hospital in Davanagere, which is expected to be up and running by 2024-25.”
Rao told TNIE that he will not dismiss all the projects completely, but will review them in detail and then decide which ones should continue under the PPP model.
The previous government had planned to allot land to private firms under the PPP model. They would invest funds for college building, infrastructure, teaching and non-teaching staff. Further, the government would hand over the district hospital to firms for clinical practice.
Dr Rathod explained that the conceptualisation of the PPP model in all these districts had been done for over eight months now. The cost of treatment would depend on the patient; Those Below Poverty Line would be given free treatment, while others charged accordingly. A district hospital, hence, would no longer function as an entity providing free treatment to all.
Health experts criticised the move, saying it will be unsuccessful and the citizens might end up facing the brunt of it. They appreciated the new government’s efforts to upgrade and invest in taluk hospitals and community health centres.