“Hurdles to the Hospital”

We should appreciate the goodwill and sincerity of the benevolent donors, Pervin and Jal Shroff of Hong Kong who have rekindled our ancestors’ spirit of philanthropy in these dark days when the community in Bombay is constantly engaged in creating controversies, maligning others and proclaiming themselves as saviors of the religion ("Hurdles to the Hospital,” Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, December 7, 2017). It is the Shroffs, and many more who have migrated to other cities and countries, who are the true followers of Zoroastrianism, extending helping hands to bring happiness in the lives of the less privileged members of their community. They have pledged support to bring the ailing The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital (PGH) on par with the best healthcare and diagnostic centers in the city.

Presently the Hospital is incurring a loss of over 10 crore rupees per annum. The patients, even those in critical condition, have to be transported to other hospitals for sophisticated diagnostic services. Those who can afford to, prefer to get admitted to better hospitals. Thus we are deprived the patronage of the affluent class who can help subsidize the cost of indigent patients. Unless we update the Hospital, there is no hope for the future.
The plan is to establish a fully equipped, cosmopolitan hospital to generate income which can be utilized to sustain PGH and provide treatment for the weaker section of the community. With the dwindling numbers in the community, in future we may have to admit cosmopolitan patients even in our exclusive PGH. The Hospital can only sustain itself if it is utilized to near full capacity. Earlier most of our educational institutions were catering exclusively to community students. We had no option but to admit cosmopolitan students in our institutions whilst retaining our control.
Do we have any other option? Have we got the expertise and experience like Medanta to run a parallel cosmopolitan institute on our own? The donors’ hard earned money should serve the purpose of making PGH not only self reliant, but offering a very high standard of health care.
The mistakes of The Parsi Lying-in Hospital (PLIH) should not be repeated. For over three decades this priceless property is lying in shambles, not creating any income or having any utility. Do we want our PGH to meet the same fate? The managing committee members of PLIH had struck a lucrative deal to generate steady income, with 10% of the total capacity of beds reserved for treatment for the members of our community free of cost. We would have created a world class, neuro-musculoskeletal center in place of the dilapidated structure. We do not know when a better deal promised by (former Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairman) Dinshaw Mehta will materialize so let us not depend upon those who put spokes in the wheel of progress but grab the opportunity offered to us today. Many of us have very fond memories of PLIH where we celebrated the joyous events of births in our families. It is really painful to see the dilapidated condition and the ghostly silence that surround the walls and structure of what was once a place buzzing with life and activity.
It seems the community cannot digest any good development without a dose of controversy. Instead of being misled by certain people, we should seek the guidance of those who have better knowledge and expertise to draft the agreement and legalize the deal in a way that the PGH property remains in our possession forever. PIROJA JOKHI
piroja.jokhi@yahoo.com