Its has been some days since the super speciality hospital, SevenHills Hospital, was inaugurated by president Pratibha Patil, and started its operations. Interestingly, the hospital was constructed on a plot that was allotted to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for building a cancer hospital for treating poor patients at affordable charges.

SevenHills Hospital was constructed on the same plot measuring 17 acres of land but ironically this hospital is a super speciality affordable only to rich and wealthy. This land deal by the BMC and the SevenHills Hospital is part of a public-private partnership (PPP).

The hospital has started its operation, but the wing that was supposed to be catering to the unprivileged class is still under construction. In fact according to the agreement between the BMC and the hospital the wing dedicated to the poor was supposed to be inaugurated first. The hospital claims that the delay was caused due to the lack of a proper Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the BMC and the hospital. The BMC issued the tender for the project in 2002 and signed the agreement with the hospital authorities in December 2005 for a period of 60 years.

A senior criminal lawyer informed that the hospital is liable for criminal breach of trust by not following the conditions set beforehand by the Corporation. Moreover, they have also mis-utilised the land and its purpose for monetary benefit.

Lately, the government has been giving precedence for PPP between the private hospitals and the government for the benefit of the poor. However there is severe apprehension over the success of the PPP model since it is proven time and again that PPP model is a way by which the hospitals have been trying to exploit the whole situation for their benefit. Misuse of land reserved for the hospitals meant for the poor is not the first in this country. Ironically, some top hospitals in the city have been involved in cases like this.