MFEO demands immediate implementation of withdrawal of user charges

New Delhi, July 14 (UNI) The Medicos Forum for Equal opportunities (MFEO) today demanded that the decision to withdraw user charges in AIIMS be implemented immediately as their was no mechanism to return the money to patients.

''The decision by the AIIMS governing body to withdraw user charges was taken more than a week ago.... but it still has not been implemented. This relief must be extended to patients,'' MFEO Convenor Vikas Bajpai said.

He said the delay was causing inconvenience to patients.

The MFEO Convenor asserted that the relief be extended to the patients as there was no mechanism to return the money to them.

''In case the decision shall be implemented in a few months from now how will the money taken from these patients be returned,'' he added.

The decision to withdraw the charges, that were levied last year, was taken during the July 5 meeting at the AIIMS Institute Governing Body meeting, headed by Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

However, AIIMS official have not implemented the decision and said they had not received the orders to this effect so far.

A delegation of senior MFEO members had met institute Deputy Director Administration (DDA) Debashish Panda and discussed the issue.

Regarding the terms of reference of the four member Valiathan committee set up to look into the functioning of AIIMS, Dr Bajpai said MFEO is alarmed by some clauses.

''One of the clauses states that the committee would also make recommendations to empower and position AIIMS to make full use of the emerging global opportunities.... The government needs to elaborate upon that,'' he said ''Does that mean AIIMS shall open its doors to clinical trials of big pharmaceutical multinationals and open up to health tourism,'' he said.

Dr Bajpai claimed that pharmaceutical multinationals have used people in the third world countries as ''guinea pigs to test their drugs''.

''The multinational companies often have little regard for the statuary conditionalities such as informed consent....

possible opening up of Institutes like AIIMS for health tourism would further deprive the poor patients the benefit of quality health care,'' he added.

About the amendments to the AIIMS Act, he said it can only be done by Parliament with the purpose of upholding the interests of quality medical education, research and patient care.

''It can not be done with the motive of sub-serving the interests of individual technocrats who tend to administer these institutes as their fiefdoms once in power,'' he added.

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