AHMEDABAD: Mayor Meenakshi Patel on Monday surprised many by dishing out an annual budget of Rs 116 crore for only 121 beds at the VS hospital! She was presenting the VS Hospital budget.
Patel, who is the chairperson of VS Hospital, had excluded 1,085 other beds in the hospital which have now been shown under the AMC-run Medical Education Trust (MET).
For the first time, the four independent trustees of board of management of the 85-year-old VS General Chinai Maternity Hospital took a strong objection to the budget, terming it non-transparent. They questioned the legal status of the MET.
They alleged that the AMC was all set to make quality healthcare and medical education unaffordable for the poor. The four members, who belonged to the donor families, were Brijesh Chinai, Rupa Chinai, Jay Sheth and VF Shah. Rupa Chinai said, "Today, a student pays Rs 20 lakh for a basic MBBS course at MET-run medical college, Rs 12 lakh for a postgraduate course. How do you think poor and tribal students can ever dream of becoming doctors? The whole infrastructure was erected using public money and so are salaries paid to professors out of public money. But this college functions as a self-financed college!"
Chinai also pointed out that the budget had earmarked just Rs 30 lakh for free medicines for the poor. "It is disheartening to know that the AMC thinks that a poor person should get just Rs 8 for his medicines. Which medicine strip costs Rs 8 today?" she asked.
Jay Sheth said, "Today, Rs 10 crore worth of equipment is to be bought. But instead of the board being involved in the purchase, the central medical stores would purchase the equipment on behalf of MET. This is completely illegal."
Patel, who is the chairperson of VS Hospital, had excluded 1,085 other beds in the hospital which have now been shown under the AMC-run Medical Education Trust (MET).
For the first time, the four independent trustees of board of management of the 85-year-old VS General Chinai Maternity Hospital took a strong objection to the budget, terming it non-transparent. They questioned the legal status of the MET.
They alleged that the AMC was all set to make quality healthcare and medical education unaffordable for the poor. The four members, who belonged to the donor families, were Brijesh Chinai, Rupa Chinai, Jay Sheth and VF Shah. Rupa Chinai said, "Today, a student pays Rs 20 lakh for a basic MBBS course at MET-run medical college, Rs 12 lakh for a postgraduate course. How do you think poor and tribal students can ever dream of becoming doctors? The whole infrastructure was erected using public money and so are salaries paid to professors out of public money. But this college functions as a self-financed college!"
Chinai also pointed out that the budget had earmarked just Rs 30 lakh for free medicines for the poor. "It is disheartening to know that the AMC thinks that a poor person should get just Rs 8 for his medicines. Which medicine strip costs Rs 8 today?" she asked.
Jay Sheth said, "Today, Rs 10 crore worth of equipment is to be bought. But instead of the board being involved in the purchase, the central medical stores would purchase the equipment on behalf of MET. This is completely illegal."
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