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BBMP differs on proposed health directorate taking over Covid duties in city
Bengaluru: Even as Bengaluru continues to fight the surging second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the state government is working on the creation of Bengaluru Health Directorate, to be constituted under the department of health and family welfare, which will take over the Covid-19 duties from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
Bengaluru: Even as Bengaluru continues to fight the surging second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the state government is working on the creation of Bengaluru Health Directorate, to be constituted under the department of health and family welfare, which will take over the Covid-19 duties from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). While the government thinks Bengaluru requires a better healthcare system, officials of the BBMP feel that changing the healthcare duties during a pandemic could be counterproductive.
Deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who also heads the state’s Covid-19 task force, said the committee is looking at the technicalities of the change in roles and it will submit a report during the next meeting of the task force.
“Healthcare in the city has been found wanting during the pandemic. We propose to build a 100-bed, hi-tech hospital in every assembly segment and a super-speciality hospital for every four assembly segments. There are many agencies carrying out public health functions in the city. The new directorate will bring them all under one umbrella,” said Narayan.
While many in the government said it was much needed, BBMP officials are opposed to it. Bengaluru has 144 primary health care centres (PHCs), six referral hospitals, 26 maternity hospitals, eight tertiary hospitals. While the PHCs come under BBMP, others are already run by the health department and department of medical education, argued a senior health department official, on the condition of anonymity.
“There is a feeling that BBMP is unable to provide the healthcare the city requires. There was an earlier to plan to bring all hospitals under BBMP. Now the proposal is to make a separate directorate, under the department of health, which will exclusively look at Bengaluru’s healthcare need. Of course, the final decision on the matter is yet to taken by the government,” the official said.
The BBMP, however, opposes the decision claiming under the 74th amendment of the Constitution, healthcare should be with the urban local body and not a government department.
“The 74th constitutional amendment talks about the devolution of powers to urban local bodies. It mandates that the urban local body have a decisive role in planning, provision and delivery of services, which includes health. In Bengaluru’s case, it is BBMP. So, it will not be constitutional to take these powers away from BBMP,” said a senior BBMP official, who didn’t wish to be named.
Another BBMP official added that changing the system while the city is dealing with a pandemic is not a wise move. “It was only recently that the state government announced its intention to decentralise the fight against the pandemic and empower wards, on the lines of Kerala and Mumbai models. After announcing such a decision, taking powers away from the local body doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Meanwhile, a senior bureaucrat clarified that the new proposal will not be in violation of 74th amendment since a new directorate specific to Bengaluru will be created. “To give an example the electricity in the city is provided by Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM). It is independent of the BBMP. So the new directorate will be similar,” he added.
