No check on fleecing of people by private labs at Government Medical College in Amritsar

Amritsar, July 16

Though touts and agents of private hospitals and labs fleecing people at Government Medical College (GMC) here is not a secret, nonetheless AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh has put the spotlight back on the issue which concerns medical facilities for the poor.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap highlighted the presence of an unauthorised gate which is allegedly used by the employees of private labs to sneak into the college premises. The gate has for long been an issue at the college. It has been closed and reopened several times in the past one decade.

The agents of private labs roaming inside the hospital is no secret as they can be seen collecting samples from inside the wards at the hospital. In most cases, the employees of these labs are called by the hospital employees and they too are present when the sample is taken, the reason being that the hospital lab does not provide reports readily, claim employees.

The owner of a chemist shop near the hospital said, “Customers generally have a tendency to buy medicines from the nearest shop. If they come from the main entrance, the shops near it benefit. V.” He said that even if the gate is closed, no one can stop the agents of private labs and hospitals from using the main entrance.

Ram Kumar, a visitor to the hospital, said, “Getting tests done at the hospital lab is tough. One has to wait for long to give the sample and then to collect the reports.” He said that the government should ensure that all tests are done at the hospital itself. “If the government facility is better, then people would not require the services of private labs,” he said.

The hospital employees complained that they are often blamed even when they are not at fault. “If the government has the will, then stopping the entry of agents and touts would not take much time. But for that, the government has to ensure ample staff and infrastructure at the hospital,” said an employee.