To take financial and other help from the private players and individuals to improve health services in the State is one of the priority areas of the Government but its own system refuses to align itself with the wishes of the Government. Take the example of septuagenarian Pushpa Munjial who has donated a major part of her savings for the Doon Hospital but its use is withheld due to official negligence.
In the year 2013, Munjial who lives in Prem Dham hospice for elderly, donated Rs 25 lakh to the Doon hospital. At that time the hospital was a district hospital. Munjial made a Fixed Deposit (FD) in the name of the hospital and wished that its interest should be used for providing medicine and other things for the poor patients visiting the biggest Government hospital of the State.
The hospital administration fulfilled the extolling wish of the elderly woman and used the interest money which amounted to about Rs 1.65 lakh per year for the welfare of the poor patients. The FD was made in the name of the Hospital Management Committee (HMC) and it had the authority to use the interest money also.
In the year 2016, the HMC ceased to exist once as the hospital along with district female hospital was merged with the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) to fulfill the obligation of a full-fledged associated hospital for medical college. The state administration failed to devise any arrangement to set up an alternative to the HMC due to which an estimated Rs 16 lakh in it are stuck up. With it the objective of serving the poor patients of Munjial is also shattered.
The 76 year old frail woman who was a school teacher and has no one in this world now said that she is not even aware what has happened to her FD in the changed circumstances. What is intriguing that the HMC was not reinstated even after the orders of then Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
When contacted, the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the GDMC Hospital Dr K K Tamta accepted that dissolving of the HMC has resulted in the situation where the intention of the donor is not being fulfilled. He however added that the hospital has set up a destitute fund for very poor patients and interested people can donate in it. Dr Tamta said that he had suggested Munjial to transfer the FD to the destitute fund. This fund is used on the recommendation of the treating doctor, he informed.