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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Aapli Chikitsa in limbo amid early monsoon
MUMBAI: The monsoon has only just arrived in Mumbai but the city's public health infrastructure is already under strain. Exposing a critical gap in preparedness is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) suspended public diagnostic scheme, Aapli Chikitsa ('Your Diagnosis'). Under the scheme, the BMC plans to roll out diagnostic services at 498 civic health institutions—including 440 HBT clinics, 30 maternity homes, three urban health centres, five specialty hospitals, 16 suburban hospitals, and its four major hospitals in Mumbai. Launched in 2019 as a flagship initiative to provide free or low-cost diagnostic tests at municipal health centres, Aapli Chikitsa has been non-operational at a time when seasonal illnesses are beginning to surge. It has been shut since December 15 last year. The scheme had significantly improved access to tests such as Complete Blood Count (CBC), blood sugar and urine analysis for citizens, particularly those from low-income backgrounds who depend on local dispensaries. The disruption began after Krishna Diagnostics, the private firm contracted for four years, hit its financial and test volume ceiling within just 18 months. Since then, the BMC has failed to appoint a new vendor, severely compromising diagnostic services across the city's 24 administrative wards. With the onset of the monsoon, common ailments such as fever, diarrhoea and respiratory infections are on the rise. However, the absence of local diagnostic facilities has forced patients to rely on private laboratories they can ill-afford. Farida Shaikh, a domestic worker from Kurla, said her son had a stomach infection and high fever. 'The clinic gave him medicines but told us to go to Sion Hospital for tests. I lost a day's work just for this,' she said. Pramod Jadhav, a retired school teacher from Dahisar, expressed similar concerns. 'My wife is diabetic and hypertensive. We used to get monthly tests done at the local civic clinic. Now we've been told to go to a Kandivali municipal hospital. It's far, tiring, and private labs are expensive,' he said. Adding to the frustration is the BMC's delayed procurement process. A new tender floated on January 21 was abruptly cancelled in March, without explanation. A revised tender was issued on March 13, but three months on, the contract remains in limbo. A civic official said the tender is in its final approval stage, although even after it is finalised, the new service provider would require at least a month to mobilise staff, set up equipment and resume operations. Health economist Dr Ravi Duggal stressed the urgency of restoring these services. 'The very foundation of primary healthcare relies on timely diagnosis. Even if the full panel of 100 tests isn't feasible right away, at least 15 to 20 core tests—like CBC, urine and blood sugar—must be made available immediately. Without them, dispensaries become mere prescription counters. In the context of rising dengue, leptospirosis and other monsoon-linked diseases, this delay could prove dangerous. The BMC must act swiftly; this is no less than a public health emergency.' Despite phone calls and text messages, Vipin Sharma, additional commissioner (health), BMC, did not respond.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
BMC's subsidised diagnostic tests scheme all set to restart
Mumbai: After a gap of four months, the civic administration could soon restart its ambitious Aapli Chikitsa programme to provide diagnostic tests for free or at subsidised rates to citizens. Lifenity Health Ltd , headquartered in Pune and with a laboratory in Lower Parel, has emerged as the lowest bidder in the BMC's tender process, offering a rate of Rs 90 against the estimated cost of Rs 100 for basic tests. The BMC subsidises these tests—nearly 100 basic tests and 40 advanced tests—by paying the difference to the empanelled company. The previously empanelled company, Krsnaa Diagnostics, had a rate of Rs 86 for basic tests. However, their nearly two-year tenure was marred by delays in handing over patients' diagnostic reports, disrupted service in many hospitals, as well as protests over BMC's alleged delays in clearing dues. This time around, a senior BMC official said, the rates were better discussed. "Against an estimated cost of Rs 376, we got a bid for Rs 495 for the advanced tests," he said. The official mentioned that the appointment of a contractor would be finalised soon as there is an "urgent requirement" to get the diagnostic process operational again in the city ahead of the monsoons. Over 4,000 blood samples would be collected every day on average by the Aapli Chikitsa contractor from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's public healthcare machinery—ranging from dispensaries, HBT or mohalla clinics, to suburban hospitals. Infectious diseases such as malaria, leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and dengue are among the most commonly conducted tests in monsoons. This time around, the BMC received two bids for the tender—one from Lifinity and another from Thyrocare Lab. Samajwadi Party MLA and former BMC corporator Rais Shaikh said that the Aapli Chikitsa scheme is much needed and the municipal corporation should have ensured that a new contractor was appointed long before the earlier contract expired. "When the authorities knew that the contract was ending, they should have ensured that there is a new contractor in place. This gap with free diagnostic service only impacts citizens," Shaikh said. However, officials of the BMC denied that patients were affected by the delay in restarting the subsidised tests scheme. The old contract ended on December 15, 2024, but the BMC rolled out a standard operating procedure to get the tests done in-house. "The BMC invited bids and received bids from two diagnostic companies but could not finalise a company and award the contract as the companies failed to negotiate a lower price with the BMC," said an official. In the previous tender, Krsnaa Diagnostics was awarded the contract by the BMC for four years. But the total quantity of tests was fixed, and this amount got exhausted, effectively ending the contract. A public health expert said that the rates mentioned in the BMC's tender documents are not feasible to conduct basic tests. "Even if the costs of testing are low, how does one account for salaries of phlebotomists and paramedical workers at such low rates? Delays and protests are likely to continue," said the doctor, who didn't want to be identified.
