Health city not yet grounded, Naidu wants to make Vizag health hub

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, June 13, 2014: AP chief minister, N Chandrabbau Naidu had laid down an ambitious plan to make Vizag a medical and health hub in the state, but the past experiences with the earlier government in this sector in the city proves that it was only tall talks and no action.

           

The Health City mooted at Adarshnagar, way back in 2006 during YSR government, aimed at promoting health tourism is still at a nascent stage. Barring a few hospitals at the verge of completion of the construction, in the more than 100 acre land earmarked for the private hospitals to set up their units, rest of them are still at nascent stage.

 It was around 2005, that the then state government had planned health city making APIIC as a nodal agency to develop it and allot plots to private hospitals. More than 100 acres of land was identified adjacent to Visakhapatnam Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), and it was divided into around 28 plots.

An upset of price of Rs 3 to 4 crs was fixed. Though initially giant quality health care chain like  Apollo Group had evinced interest and 10 acres was allotted, there were no many takers of the rest of the plots.  Government also wanted to generate money by selling the plots to private parties.

Subsequently around, barring 2 plots, rest were allotted to various, private hospitals. But only five hospitals are at the final stage of completion and ready to offer services, remaining are all still either at foundation stage or at ground level. It will take at least,  another  3 years for those to get operational.

 According to sources in APIIC, it was fear of cancellation of the allotment that some hospitals have begun construction as a token.

 The Health City was aimed to promote health tourism in Vizag as medical and health facilities in countries like US, the UK and Middle East are very high and NRIs can be attracted to Vizag if the high class medical facilities are made available here.

“I think those hospitals have bagged those plots keeping the future potential of Vizag. There needs to be promotion also from the state government in terms of Vizag as destination for health tourism. Once, patients from foreign shores start coming, all these hospitals will come up in no time. For all this there needs to be a firm commitment from the state government, otherwise nothing will move forward,” said a senior official of a multi speciality hospital, who wished not to be identified.