HC wonders at delay in making NIMS, Bibinagar operational

HYDERABAD: Wondering at the inoperative state of NIMS Hospital at Bibinagar on the city outskirts though its construction had been completed seven years ago, a division bench of the High Court on Wednesday directed the Telangana government to explain the cause of delay in the functioning of the new hospital which was built at a cost of Rs 125 crore. Besides, it directed the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to file reports explaining the steps taken by them for strengthening public health care in their respective states.

The bench of justices V Ramasubramanian and T Amarnath Goud passed this order on a PIL filed by journalist K Narender seeking regulation of private corporate health sector and strengthening of the public health sector in both the Telugu-speaking states. “About 40 years ago it was common for chief ministers and important public personalities to undergo treatment at government hospitals.

Today, everyone is forced to go to private hospitals due to deterioration of infrastructure at government hospitals,” the bench observed. Citing various irregularities and corrupt and unethical medical practices adopted by private hospitals, petitioner’s counsel NS Arjun Kumar told the court that young women were subjected to unnecessary removal of uterus through operations in their greed for money. Even the Aarogyasri health scheme was misused by these hospitals.

The Telangana vigilance department, in its counter affidavit, admitted that corrupt practices and irregularities were being committed by private corporate hospitals. Besides, the CAG report of 2015 had criticised the state government for its failure to make NIMS hospital at Bibinagar operational even long after its construction, he pointed out. Special counsel for Telangana S Sharat Kumar submitted that the government had been taking steps to strengthen the public health care system and was ready to implement it if any order was passed by the court.