Former Union Minister Chinta Mohan has demanded Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy introduce free medical and surgical treatment to poor patients, irrespective of whether they hold ration cards or not, at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administered Sree Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati.
“The Congress party would intensify the agitation on this humanitarian issue from August 15,” he said on Saturday.
Speaking at a protest meeting in front of the SVIMS hospital here, Mr. Chinta Mohan said that though the TTD had funds to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees and tonnes of gold in reserve, “nothing tangible has been done to extend free treatment to the patients who are below the poverty line, at SVIMS.”
‘Forcibly discharging poor patients’
He alleged that the hospital management was forcibly discharging the poor patients from casualty wards over non-payment of bills.
Mr. Chinta Mohan sought the TTD authorities to allocate sufficient funds to the SVIMS so that it could operate on the lines of an AIIMS. “In 2004, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sanctioned ₹65 crore to SVIMS towards the free treatment to the patients and to stop privatisation of the hospital. Mr. Ajeya Kallam, who was the TTD Executive Officer at that time, had promised to contribute towards the cause of free treatment for the poor. But, it did not happen even after two decades,” Chinta Mohan said.
The Congress leader said that it was “illegal” on the part of the TTD and the SVIMS management “to collect money from the poor patients.”
‘Merge SVRR with SVIMS’
The former MP further demanded the State government merge the SVRR Government Hospital and the SVIMS hospital to serve the poor patients effectively. “Unfortunately, the SVIMS is not admitting emergency cases when referred from the SVRR Hospital,” Chinta Mohan alleged.
Referring to the “poor wages” of the outsourcing and contract workers in the TTD institutions, Mr. Chinta Mohan said that when the Congress government comes to power at the Center, “an act would be passed to provide a minimum monthly wage of ₹30,000 to the workers.
