3 days on, MoU with civic body unsigned
Three days have passed since the civic body gave Seven Hills Hospital management a seven-day ultimatum to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with it.
Three days have passed since the civic body gave Seven Hills Hospital management a seven-day ultimatum to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with it. However, hospital management has not responded to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s warning.
The MoU had not been signed because of a disagreement between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the hospital management over providing medicines at concessional rates to poor patients referred by the civic body.
Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner said if the hospital management was not ready to accept the conditions, the civic body would take over the hospital. “The legal process will begin if they refuse to accept our conditions,” said Mhaiskar.
The 17-acre plot in Andheri. was earlier meant for a civic hospital. However, the ruling Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party decided to hand it over to Seven Hills management to build a private hospital. The hospital had promised to treat poor patients referred by the BMC at concessional rates.
The BMC's ultimatum was issued following a discussion in the civic standing committee on Wednesday. Sameer Desai, from Congress demanded BMC take action against the hospital.
“If the hospital is not interested in following the BMC’s conditions, the administration has right to take over the hospital as the hospital has been constructed on civic-owned land in Marol, Andheri,” said Desai.
Hospital spokesperson Dr Bindu Shah was not available for comment. “We will take a final call on Monday, ” said Rahul Shewale, chairman of the civic standing committee.