Activists want rollback of charge hike at Sassoon

Pune: Several non-governmental organisations as well as social organisations have demanded that the hike in charges of medical services — right from case papers to surgeries — at the state-run Sassoon General Hospital be revoked in the interest of needy patients. The revised charges came into force from December 2017.
“We have been campaigning against the hike for a week now. We staged demonstrations and have carried out signature campaigns. The agitation is still on. We will meet the authorities again on March 6 to press our demands,” said public health activist Kishore Khillare.

Organisations like Jan Arogya Manch, Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Democratic Youth Federation of India and the Centre for Indian Trade Unions have joined in the protests. “We have gathered around 2,500 signatures mainly from people living in slum areas, including Ramnagar (Warje), Gosavi Vasti (Kothrud), Bhimnagar (Vishrantwadi) and Burma Shell (Yerawada),” Khillare said.

Senior activist Kiran Moghe said, “We have demanded a rollback of the increase in charges and making substantial budgetary allocations for public hospitals in the state, including Sassoon, so that ordinary people have access to free and affordable healthcare. Besides, we have also demanded that women should be entitled for free sonography tests during pregnancy.”

Ajay Taware, medical superintendent of Sassoon hospital, said, “The fee hike is as per the state’s policy. We will inform our higher authorities about the demands of these organisations.”

The new rates, however, do not apply to those in the below poverty line category, senior citizens, patients with infections and diseases categorised under national schemes, like TB, cataract etc., the authorities said.