District Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil has advocated for establishing an NGO-type scheme with the assistance of doctors that will benefit needy patients.
"I will say that doctors providing treatment to poor individuals within their means is wonderful. However, you can connect people like us to form an NGO-type program. This will be in addition to what the government is already doing, and it will benefit needy patients. "Doctors and people like us may think about such an idea together," Patil remarked after inaugurating "UROKUL," a 105-bed single-speciality urology hospital on the Pune-Mumbai Highway in Baner. Yesterday evening was the inauguration.
This is the country's third speciality urology hospital, with the other two located in Nadiad (in Gujarat) and Hyderabad (in Telangana). The founders of UROKUL, renowned urologists Dr Sanjay Kulkarni and Dr Jyotsana Kulkarni, Padma Vibhushan recipient and noted orthopaedic surgeon Dr K H Sancheti, and senior urologist Dr Deepak Kirpekar, were also present.
"Due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative, the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been launched, which will help 50 crore people who would not have to spend a single rupee for medical treatment." People will be given ATM cards worth Rs 5 lakh, and hospital expenses will be deducted from them. A one-year provision of Rs 5 lakh is made. If any member of the family becomes unwell, he would receive free care worth Rs 5 lakh. "It has already benefited 3 crore people in the last year," Patil said, adding that when the BJP was in power in Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019, the then Chief Minister and current Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis focused on this program.
"Devendra Fadnavis also made extensive use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding, spending Rs 1,100 crores on patients over five years." "He also established the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," Patil explained, adding that individuals have begun to make significant contributions through CSR. Patil further stated that a platform has been established to raise cash for needy patients, citing the example of a patient in Kolhapur, western Maharashtra, for whom Rs 30 lakh were collected.