This is for the second time in one month that we are writing on a situation in the Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu and associated hospitals in which patients are denied breakfast. Ever since the hospital and the Medical College came into existence, it has been the practice to provide a small breakfast to the patients to the extent of a loaf or two and a glass of milk. It was felt that wards and caretakers of some hospitalized patients had to come from a long distance and might not reach the hospital in time to bring breakfast to the patients. Therefore, the Government munificently allowed the little facility to the patients. But it seems that the system has run into difficulty and for one month in the past supply of breakfast has been stopped.
We learn that the reason for suspension of diet to the patients is that the contractor, who had been authorized to supply breakfast to the patients has not been paid arrears to the tune of 1.83 crore rupees. When repeated requests by the contractor for release of arrears made no impact on the authorities, he very reluctantly, issued a notice to the Government that in case payment of arrears was not made, he would be forced to terminate the supply of breakfast to the patients. Even then neither the hospital authorities nor the Government took any decision and left the matter hanging fire. At that time we in these columns cautioned the Government that it should not delay clearing the payment of arrears to the contractor so that situation does not go out of hands. We emphasized that this was a humanitarian cause and, by and large, mostly poor and deprived patients benefited from it.
Arrears have not been cleared and the contractor has stopped supplying breakfast to the patients. It is common sense that a contractor having lost the hope of recovery of arrears to the tune of 1.83 crores is not going to sink more money on a business that is disastrous for him. The Government cannot be absolved of responsibility of harming the financial interests of the contractor and humanitarian assistance to the patients. In some quarters it is rumoured that the Governments wants to do away with the supply of meals to the patients in GMCH Jammu and its affiliates as has been done in Srinagar. It is not necessary to repeat a practice, especially a bad practice, for Jammu in order to equate it with the practice observed in Srinagar. It cannot be that the Government is not in a position to make the payment of the amount of arrears to the contractor and sort out things for future and continue supply of meals to the patients. It is the Minister for Health Services, who must come out and clarify the position of the Health Department.
All that we can say is that those who had initially introduced the scheme of supplying small breakfast to the patients during their hospitalization had take this decision with much care and after considering various aspects, essentially those pertaining to poor and deprived patients. Even if the government decides to do away with the scheme, it should be not be a blanket order. Some provision has to be made for the poor and deprived patients.
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