Jammu, Apr 27: Going ahead with its proposal for privatization of the reputed hospitals of the state, the adamant state government Friday constituted high level committee for Public Private Partnership Projects (PPP) in the Health and Medical Education Department.
 The government accorded the sanction to the constitution of a Committee for Public Private Partnership Projects (PPP) of Health and Medical Education Department to be headed by Administrative Secretary Finance Department as its chairman.
 Administrative Secretary Planning and Development Department, Administrative Secretary Health and Medical Education Department, Administrative Secretary Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Director Finance Health and Medical Education Department shall be the members of the committee, while the Joint Director (Planning) Health and Medical Education Department has been nominated as the convener.
 The Committee has been empowered to hold pre-bid meetings and opening and finalization of tenders for the selection and engagement of ‘Transaction Advisors’ for implementation of PPP Project.
 Sources said that the state government is putting its weight behind privatization of 6 reputed instates of the state including Super Specialty Hospital of Government Medical College Jammu (funded by the Union Government), Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar Jammu, Chopra Nursing Home Jammu, Jawahar Lal Nehru Hospital Rainawari, Nursing Home Gupkar Road, and Sanat Nagar Maternity Hospital.
 The hihgh level committee has been constituted to further pursue the process of PPP mode, they said adding that the process has been set in motion despite the fact that Union Health Ministry grounded the proposal.
 The union government had expressed it reservation twice citing cost escalation as a reason besides setting up bad precedence because no other state of the country has brought its ‘state of art hospitals’ under PPP mode.  But the state government has cited inefficiency to run state of art hospitals on its own and choose PPP mode as an alternative.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST