Bhayandar: Assembly elections might be more than three months away, but the likely contestants Narendra Mehta (BJP’s sitting legislator) and Muzaffar Husain (former Congress MLC) from the Mira-Bhayandar (145) constituency have already sounded the poll bugle by hurling accusations against each other.
After remaining mysteriously silent for more than four years, the BJP legislator launched an offensive against the Mira Road based Umrao Hospitals (now Wockhardt) for failing to earmark 20 per cent and 10 per cent beds for economically weaker section (EWS) patients and government employees respectively, in lieu of the additional Floor Space Index (FSI) granted to them.
This apart from 10 per cent of the free OPD services to be reserved for EWS patients and concessional treatment to patients referred by the civic body. Refuting the allegations as wild and politically motivated, Hussain who is one of the trustees of the medical institution said,
All the guidelines are being dedicatedly followed and the hospital is open to any type of scrutiny. However, it is a pity that the legislator who is unaware of the rules, is himself under the scanner for blatant violations at his own establishment Seven Eleven Hospital.”
“The health minister has intervened to form a panel comprising the civic chief, health officials and an elected representative to ensure proper implementation of the medical scheme,” charged Mehta.
Meanwhile, Umrao Hospitals claimed that rules laid down under the Public Trust Act with regard to reservation of beds are being duly complied as per judicial orders and reports are regularly submitted to authorities including MBMC every month.
Charitable hospitals are required to create a separate fund called Indigent Patients’ Fund (IPF) where 2 per cent of the gross billing charged to regular paying patients, are supposed to be deposited.
By Suresh Golani
