The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Stomaching price rise

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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Stomaching price rise

K.V. Prasad

Photo: K. Ananthan

DIGESTING RISING COSTS: A canteen at a private hospital in the city. —

Hospitals, especially those with a sizeable part of their functioning devoted to community service, are facing immense pressure from the rising prices of essential commodities. The canteens in the hospitals find the going tough because of the rise in the prices of cooking gas and essential commodities.

Rice, wheat, vegetables and cooking oil do not come at an affordable price anymore, they say. Some hospitals provide free food three times a day and some even four times.

“The cost of preparing meals for patients has risen 100 per cent over the last six months,” says K.G. Hospital Chairman G. Bakthavathsalam.

“Yet, we are doing our best not to increase the price of food for even the patients who pay for their treatment in our hospitals (eye hospital included),” he says.

Sankara Eye Centre’s Managing Trustee R.V. Ramani says food for the patients is an important component of his centre’s free eye care movement. But, escalating costs are causing an enormous strain to the institution.

On an average around 1,000 patients are fed every day in the various Sankara Eye Care institutions in different parts of the country. Providing quality and hygienic food to these poor patients three times a day for three days on an average for every patient is a pleasant but an arduous task in the present scenario, he says.

Aravind Eye Hospital, which also handles a huge number of patients a day, says it provides meals that cost Rs.60 a patient.

The hospital absorbs this cost and provides the meal to poor patients without taking any charge.

Hospitals say the meals their canteens prepare are largely what patients are allowed to eat. Sticking to a diet that aids recovery and not worsen the disease is the focus of every hospital canteen.

Therefore, there can be no compromise on quality even during constant price rise.

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