Opposition BJP on Thursday staged a walkout from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly protesting against the outsourcing of laboratories of hospitals and medical colleges in the State to a MNC firm.
Government has outsourced laboratory services in 23 hospitals and two medical colleges of the State to a Delhi based MNC firm. Question was raised by BJP chief whip Suresh Bhardawaj during the Zero Hour in which he questioned the intent of the Government and future of existing lab technicians.
The protest started right after Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur’s, reply to the question in which he said that laboratory services has not been privatised but outsourced for 21 hours from 12 pm to 9 am as at that time existing lab technicians do not collect samples. leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal and Rajiv Bindal asked the Health Minister to differentiate between privatisation and outsourcing. Bhardawaj alleged that first the work was awarded to a multinational company on single tender and according to the MoU signed, the Government staff working in the laboratories will work only for three hours while the company staff will conduct the tests for 21 hours.
He also alleged that accommodation was being provided to the MNC company in health institution free of cost including, a space at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) hospital Shimla which has market value of Rs 1.76 lakh.
Refuting the allegation Thakur said the laboratories were not being privatised but only services have been outsourced to improve accuracy, quality and provide 24-hour laboratory services to the people. Minister reasoned that there was shortage of technical staff in health institutions and some specialist laboratory services were available only at IGMC, Shimla and Tanda medical college. “By outsourcing, laboratory services will be made available in the hospital having bed capacity over 100 while in the health institutions with bed capacity below 100, the company will open its collection center,” added Thakur.
Another BJP leader, Mahender Singh alleged it was a big scam and two Ministers were involved in it. As uproar continued, Dhumal intervened and asked the Minister that why the Government was obliging a multinational company. “Instead of outsourcing the services to a MNC, the Government should have engaged 15,000 trained lab technicians, who are unemployed and are forced to run their own laboratories,” said Dhumal. He added that the laboratory services should have been outsourced to the private company only in rural areas, where most of the test facility, were not available. later Dhumal said by outsourcing the lab services, Government is robbing youth of their livelihood and Opposition will expose the two Ministers involved in it.