Surgical implants: MCs yet to provide space for HLL outlets

The government’s initiative to provide surgical implants at affordable price has hit a roadblock with many of the Medical Colleges yet to provide infrastructure to HLL LifeCare Limited for opening retail outlets.

As per the 2010 government order, the Medical Colleges have to provide space for the outlets to function. However, even after two years and repeated orders, the Medical Colleges did not come up with the facilities.

It is alleged that a nexus between the doctors and the private outlets are behind the delay. The doctors, who get hefty commissions from private outlets, are in no way interested in the HLL outlets.   

Apart from the one which was started in the Medical College here, the HLL could not open any outlet in other Medical Colleges. Highly placed sources in the HLL said that Medical Colleges in Alappuzha, Thrissur, Kottayam and Kozhikode were not cooperative.

“We sent letters and met the principals and superintendents several times. But they did not show any interest,” they said.

HLL LifeCare chairman and managing director M Ayyapan told Express that the Medical Colleges were now in such a position that they could not keep themselves away from the task.

“The government had already talked to the officials of the Medical Colleges. While moving to a new model, there will be reluctance from some quarters. But we are getting into it,” he said.

The price of surgical implants from HLL is around 40 to 60 per cent less than that in the open market. The principals of the Medical Colleges said that they did not have sufficient space for surgical implant outlets.

Kottayam Medical College principal Remla Beevi said that there was no space available for the infrastructure. “The space that is now with the Medical College is just not enough for anything. As of now, a decision has not been taken and we are exploring the possibilities,” she said. Thrissur Medical College principal K R Girija said that necessary orders have been given to the superintendent to provide the space. She said that the space would be allotted at the earliest.  

Moreover, in some Medical Colleges, the Hospital Management Committee started taking over the outlets run by the Hospital Development Society, which only stands in the way of the new concept of HLL LifeCare surgical implant outlets.

However, it is alleged that most of the time, these outlets of the society did not have the required implants, which led the patients to rely on outside agencies.