President urged not to lay foundation stone for pvt health institute

A group of like-minded citizens have opposed President Pranab Mukherjee laying foundation stone for BRS Health and Research Institute Super Speciality Hospital in Udupi on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons, renowned psychiatrist and Sarkari Aspatre Ulisi Horata Samiti convener P V Bhandary said the groups like to convey the dismay to the President at the manner in which widespread public opposition to the memorandum of understanding between the state government and BRS Health and Research Institute Private Limited is being blatantly ignored by all quarters.

The President’s visit to the site where Dr B R Shetty is constructing a super speciality hospital will hurt the sentiments of the people of Udupi who are actively protesting and working to get it analysed by the court of law. The President’s presence will lend credibility to an otherwise unlawful transaction, he decried.

He said citizens of Udupi with utmost respect to the President request him to reconsider his itinerary and refrain from visiting the hospital site during his visit to the temple town on Sunday. This small gesture on his part will bolster the spirit of the people of Udupi and the faith in Indian democracy of which he is the first citizen, he said.

He said, “We sincerely  hope he will empathise with the people of Udupi who cannot match with the wealth and influence of B R Shetty, but who are proud and humble descendents of Haji Abdullah, an incomparable visionary who must not be forgotten.”

He said District Government Maternity and Children’s Hospital has been rendering service to poor women and children for the last seven decades. It was a ray of hope for the poor. However, the new deal has devastated the dreams of the poor for better quality health care facilities at cheaper price. The handing over of the hospital is the subject matter of litigation pending before the additional senior civil judge, Udupi. 

The citizens’ group has instituted the legal proceedings seeking the cancellation of the MoU and lease granted by the government in favour of BRS Ventures, as it is contrary to statutory law and state policy, in addition to being an act of breach of public trust, he said.

The protest will continue till justice is done. The decision to handover a well-performing public charitable hospital to a private company and to permit the private company to build and operate super speciality hospital on the public trust land has been opposed, he said.

They also condemned the Pejawar seer’s decision to hand over Rajangana to perform the foundation stone laying ceremony for BRS Health and Research Institute Super Speciality Hospital.