MUMBAI, April 24 -- The BMC is pushing ahead with its controversial decision to privatise services in civic-run hospitals, the latest move being a proposal to hand over space within these institutions to private players to run diagnostic services. According to the proposal, submitted by the civic health department to the civic improvements committee, diagnostic services such as sonography, mammography, MRI scans, CT scan, OPD services, dialysis, pathology, among others, should be handed over to private players for periods ranging from 10 to 30 years. Private firms would have to charge rates determined by the BMC. The BMC has been roundly criticised for privatising health services, a move that is pricing out the people these institutions are meant to serve. For lakhs of low-income families, civic hospitals are the only lifeline for medical treatment. But privatisation is defeating the very ethos of civic healthcare, say activists. After pushback from the public and health activists, the BMC rebranded its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model as the 'Civic Health Collaboration'. Now justifying its plan to hand over space to private firms for diagnostic services, the BMC says existing diagnostic services at Bhagwati Hospital are inadequate for the 2 million residents of Borivali. As a result, patients are redirected to Shatabdi hospital at Kandivali. Hence, the proposal states, a two-storey BMC structure that is close to the Bhagwati Hospital at Panjabi Lane could be handed over on a PPP model for dialysis, CT scan, MRI and laboratory tests, to Krisna Diagnostics Ltd for Rs.2.05 crore per annum. This company could also be provided space within civic hospitals like Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital (Kandivali), Bhabha Hospital (Bandra), Bhagwati Hospital (Borivali) M T Agarwal Hospital (Mulund), etc, to provide services for 10 years in lieu of payment of Rs.6.11 lakh per annum, for 10 years. The proposal is expected to be taken up by the improvements committee for discussion on Friday. The civic body's plan has met with stiff opposition from corporators like Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi, who called it "backdoor privatisation". Chairperson of the civic health committee Harish Bandirge said, "I am working to ensure that the BMC provides its own services in its hospitals. I will be reviewing all the services provided by private organisations in public hospitals." Public health activist Ravi Duggal called the civic administration's move a "sell-off of public health services"....