Urban development minister Roshan Baig informed this to a delegation of 11 civil society groups which met him on Tuesday. The groups resisted had the proposal, stating that public land and facilities belonged to citizens, and the move would result in exploitation of poor patients.
In a statement, the Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali said the minister told them that no MoU had been signed, and it was only under process. "The government has decided to attach the superspecialty hospital on Broadway Road with the new medical college sanctioned in Bowring hospital," it said. "The purpose of handing over the hospital to NH was to equip it to tackle heart disease. But, given the opposition, we have decided to hand it over to the proposed medical college at Bowring hospital," said Baig.