Corporate control over urban PHCs draws criticism

- Activists say telemedicine system in UPHCs may provide more efficient treatment but ultimately it benefits corporate hospitals
- Express concern over prospects of government losing control on the centres in the long-run

Vijayawada: The State government’s policy of entrusting e-Urban Public Health Centres (UPHCs) may ultimately lead to government losing control over them, opine activists. They express concern that telemedicine system being adopted by e-UPHCs will result in reduction of tests provided for by the government in the centres and the centres could be misused by corporates to feed their hospitals where patients have to shell out hefty amounts for treatment.

The government has provided infrastructure to upgrade a total 222 e-UPHCs in the State. Corporate hospitals would maintain these e-UPHCs and provide better medicare to the poor through telemedicine system where tests will be assessed by corporate hospitals and medical advice or treatment is dispensed.

However, the experiments world over on this kind of health centres proved unsuccessful, according to activists.

Earlier, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) used to maintain the UPHCs where the government investment was minimal.

Now, the government handed over the operation to corporate hospitals. This helps the corporate hospitals to look for big margins.

They may cover a large number of patients, but restrict the number of tests to the minimum possible to reduce costs. “This system will gradually lead to a situation where government will have to bow to the pressures of corporate hospital and cede control of UPHCs,” opine Dr Suresh, convener of Prajarogya Vedika.

He said in order to bring change in the situation, hospital development committees should be formed with representation from patients and social activists. Otherwise, the government representatives, basically political leaders, would control hospital maintenance. Accountability need to be improved in government hospitals, he said.

To quote an example of how the corporate hospitals overtake in the long-run, Dr Suresh said Chittoor district headquarters hospital was attached to a corporate hospital.

After some time, the hospital started a private medical college attached to it. It was a known fact that private medical colleges are good at generating poor doctors, he quipped.

CPM State leader Ch Babu Rao criticised the State government for handing over UPHCs to corporates.

Interestingly, the government was spending more on providing infrastructure at these hospitals. The corporate hospitals would turn the UPHCs into feeding centres for their hospitals.

He also objected to the State government axing staff on one pretext or the other after upgrading the hospitals.

Noor Shaik