PIL petition on Udupi hospital issue, admitted by court

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Apr 01, 2017: Reports state that PIL  public interest litigation petition filed by a group of citizens against the privatisation of the District Maternity and Children’s Hospital and providing land for the construction of a super-specialty hospital to a private entity, was accepted by the court of the III Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, here on March 31, Friday.

The State government and the private entity are respondents in the case. The court has directed the respondents to reply to the PIL. The State government had decided to hand over about four acres of land, where the District Maternity and Children’s Hospital is located to a private entity, BRS Health and Research Institute (BRSHRI), for constructing a 200-bed charity hospital, and a 400-bed super-specialty hospital and a community service centre on build-own operate and transfer (BOOT) basis under public-private participation (PPP) mode, in 2016.

As per the agreement with the BRSHRI, medical treatment at the super-specialty hospital would be charged at reasonable rates fixed in a transparent manner. The revenue generated from the super-specialty hospital would be used for running the charitable hospital.

Objections :  A group of citizens had objected to it and opposed the move. They contended that the prime land in the heart of the city was donated for the government hospital by philanthropist late Haji Abdulla Saheb (1882-1935), who was also the founder of Corporation Bank. Haji Abdulla Saheb had donated the land along with the dispensary building with conditions to the Taluk Board in 1924-25. One of the conditions was that the land should not be given to any entity other than the government.