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Time of India
31-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Mumbai civic body resumes Aapli Chikitsa Yojana for blood tests
Mumbai: BMC's 'Aapli Chikitsa Yojana' offering blood tests at nominal rates will resume today (Aug 1). Patients will receive their reports through WhatsApp, and the data will also be available on BMC's Health Information Management System for the patient's future consultations at any of the civic health institutes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A civic official said the programme will resume in 100 institutions, including hospitals, maternity homes, and aapla dawakhanas. It will be further expanded to all civic hospitals by Aug 15. In April, a Pune-based company, Lifenity Health Ltd, had emerged as the lowest bidder in the BMC's tender process for the aapli chikitsa services, offering a rate of Rs 90 against the estimated cost of Rs 100 for basic tests. The scheme offers 83 tests, 66 basic tests, and 17 advanced tests.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
BMC's subsidised diagnostic testing programme Aapli Chikitsa set to restart soon in Mumbai
Mumbai: While the incidence of monsoon diseases is rising in the city, the BMC's subsidised diagnostic testing programme will take a few more weeks to become operational again. "Our Aapli Chikitsa programme is on the verge of being finalised. We need a week or so to get it operational," confirmed deputy municipal commissioner Sharad Ughade. The scheme lapsed in Dec 2024 after the BMC failed to appoint a new agency to carry out diagnostic tests after the old contract expired. In April, a Pune-based company, Lifenity Health Ltd, 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 final decision will be made within a week, Ughade said. The BMC subsidised tests — nearly 100 basic and 40 advanced tests — by paying the difference to the empaneled company. The previously empaneled company, Krsnaa Diagnostics, offered a rate of Rs 86 for basic tests. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai A senior BMC official said the scheme should be back within a month. BMC executive health officer Dr Daksha Shah said tests are still being conducted at free or subsidised rates for patients visiting BMC healthcare centres and hospitals. Regarding reports of a few suburban hospitals lacking the quick-test Elisa kits used for the detection of various diseases, including dengue, an official said: "Even if there is a shortage of Elisa kits, hospitals can collect blood samples and send them for testing at our lab in Kasturba Hospital. "
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.
