The President of Uttarakhand Chapter of Indian Media Centre Anup Nautiyal has called for scrapping the registration charge levied on the patients of Out Patient Department (OPD) in the government hospitals of the state.
In a letter written to the state health minister, Nautiyal has claimed that the due to the charge, poor people are not able to take the advantages of OPD facilities in the Govt. hospitals.He said that it has been proved that imposing user charges has resulted in poor utilization levels in government hospitals by the poorest of the poor.Nautiyal said that while OPD patients in Doon hospital and other major hospitals of the state have to deposit Rs 14 the hospitals of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh (UP) charge only Rs 1 for the same.