CSR funds must go to treat childhood diseases: Dr Rela

Chennai: People declared dead at hospitals after spending lakhs of rupees for complex surgeries and treatment end up paying more compared to other patients for no fault of theirs, said senior liver transplant surgeon Dr Mohamed Rela, chairman and director, Rela Hospital.He was talking at the CII Tamil Nadu CSR Healthcare Conclave to a room full of doctors, industrialists, human resources, and finance heads of corporate organisations from across the state. “When it comes to running and managing hospitals, charity is superior to getting funds from CSR,” he said. “Why would a corporate company fund a private hospital which says patients must pay more than what the package costs if there are complications? When hospitals and doctors who know so much aren’t prepared to bear the cost of complications, how will a patient who has paid more than 20 lakh-30 lakh be prepared for it,” he asked amid applause. Dr Rela, who spent most of his career working for the NHS in the UK, said most patients there believed doctors did their best because money is not involved. “I spend more time and effort with patients and their families when there is a complication. As a doctor and a hospital administrator, I do my best to earn goodwill. Almost every month we waive off at least 70 lakh. But this loss hasn’t stopped us from becoming one of the top hospitals in the city,” he said. CSR funds should be directed towards projects such as treatment of childhood diseases, TB or malaria elimination where outcomes can be measured, he added.Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said TN was looking to partner corporates not just to fund buildings or medical equipment, but also in projects such as data analysis that will help identify key areas of concern. “This will help us push for effective policies.” The TNHSP project director said industries can help implement programmes to prevent non-communicable diseases. “They not only increase expenditure but cause premature deaths.”