Moving away from the original concept envisioned by the late Prof. Dr K S Sanjivi, the visionary and founder of the Chennai based multi-speciality NGO hospital & research institute, Voluntary Health Services (VHS), the administrative committee of the hospital has now entered into partnership arrangement with private institutions for the services of pharmacy, laboratory and ultra sound scan after closing down its own facilities.

Besides, the committee of administration has stopped the three para-medical courses, Diploma in Medical Lab Technology, Diploma in Hospital Administration and Diploma in Diet & Nutrition that the institute has been conducting for many years.

After closing operation of the hospital’s own pharmacy, it has been handed over to MedPlus, the retail pharma chain company to run their business in the VHS premises. Well-equipped laboratory of the hospital has now ceased to exist and its place was occupied by the popular lab institute, MedAll Healthcare Pvt Ltd.  Mediscan Systems has got the assignments for Scan and Doppler services which were until done in the hospital itself.

Objecting to the privatization move, the consultant doctors and HoDs of the hospital have given a memorandum to the administrative committee to reconsider its decision taking note of the very concept of Dr Sanjivi to render quality health and medical care irrespective of the affordability of an individual. They said in their representation that this move will increase the cost of drugs and investigations manifold to the ailing people who depend on this institution. They further alleged that  the decision of the management committee has caused a drop in the number of patients visiting the hospital.

The hospital was established by the visionary and physician, Dr K S Sanjivi, in 1963 with an aim to provide quality health and medical care to the common people on subsidized rates. It is working with the support of government and international agencies in various fields of public health. The doctors in the hospital are doing services accepting a nominal amount just for conveyance.

Well-wishers of the hospital are of opinion that if the lab and pharmacy are privatized, the poor patients have to pay huge amount for a lab test or scan or for purchasing drugs. Drugs, surgical materials and solutions used for dialysis were available to the patients on subsidized rates. Patients are afraid that when these facilities get into the hands of private people they will charge more for each item. Sources close to the hospital said the administrative committee is making all efforts to gradually privatize the institute, and the closure of these three units is the specimen of character change.

When contacted, the secretary of the hospital Dr E S Krishanamoorthy has denied the allegation that the hospital is deviating from the path of its founder. He informed Pharmabiz that the institute had arrangement with a popular ultrasound imaging service provider in Chennai and it existed for over a decade. To enable a wider spectrum of services with more modern technologies, the agreement was recently expanded.

Regarding closure of Pharmacy, he said the hospital had its own drug store and a retail pharmacy by an external agency on the campus. This arrangement has been reworked to establish a more comprehensive medical and surgical store. About laboratory, he said the management of the hospital has felt a need to upgrade it, so arrangements have been made with external agency. He said patients registered with VHS under its Medical Aid Plan (MAP), do get substantial discounts on all services. These are done in line with Dr Sanjivi’s vision.

When asked whether the administrative committee has any idea to privatize the hospital one by one, he did not comment on that. Sources close to the hospital alleged that some doctors involving the administration do direct the high income group patients with old age diseases like Alzheimer’s to their own hospitals.

Regarding the stoppage of paramedical courses, Dr Krishnamoorthy said the institute did not get any application from students in the previous year, but he is looking for university accreditation for next year.

The patients registered with VHS come under four categories, free income group, low income group, medium income group and high income group.