NEW DELHI: More than a hundred Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum have urged the Union Government to immediately withdraw the "anti-people'' order on user charges levied by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here and save lakhs of patients from harassment and hardship.

In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, the MPs have drawn the Government's attention to the user charges whose withdrawal was demanded by over 200 AIIMS faculty members and 26 heads of departments last December.

Health

The MPs said that despite the United Progressive Alliance Government's declared position on concern for health care for the common man, it was strange that the controversy was being allowed to continue for "a mere Rs. 5 crores to 7 crores'' to be collected from the patients.

"Even after a debate in Parliament and strong public sentiments and media reports against the move to increase user charges at AIIMS for the last two months, nothing has been done to bring an end to the controversy and saving hundreds of patients from harassment,'' the memorandum said.

The MPs said that through a circular last month patients had been asked to carry a Below Poverty Line card, which had only added to the prevailing confusion.

They said in a recent communication to the National Human Rights Commission, AIIMS had said that it could generate only Rs. 3.41 lakhs during December last year through user charges.

"Is it really worth to put lakhs of patients to unnecessary harassment for this paltry sum?'' the MPs said.

CPI (M) MP Nilotpal Basu, who went to see the Prime Minister along with the delegation, later said that the MPs also drew attention to an assurance from the Government in the Lok Sabha that people below poverty line would not be charged but it was not being implemented.

PM's assurance

The campaign spearheaded by Nirmala Deshpande had MPs from the Left, the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Bharatiya Janata Party and Independents signing the memorandum.

The Prime Minister assured the delegation that he would look into the issue.

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