The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to relaunch its Aapli Chikitsa programme after a gap of four months, which offers diagnostic tests at subsidized or no cost to citizens. Lifenity Health Ltd, based in Pune with a lab in Lower Parel, has emerged as the lowest bidder in the BMC’s tender process, offering a rate of Rs 90 for basic tests, slightly below the estimated cost of Rs 100. The BMC covers the difference for nearly 100 basic and 40 advanced tests through its subsidy program.
Krsnaa Diagnostics, the previous service provider, charged Rs 86 for basic tests, but their tenure was marked by delays in report delivery, service disruptions, and protests related to unpaid dues. A senior BMC official stated that the rates were more thoroughly discussed this time. The bid for advanced tests came in at Rs 495, against an estimated cost of Rs 376, as reported by The Times of India.
The BMC is keen to resume operations before the monsoon season, which sees an uptick in the need for diagnostic tests due to infectious diseases like malaria, leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and dengue. On average, over 4,000 blood samples are collected daily through Aapli Chikitsa from BMC healthcare facilities, including dispensaries, clinics, and suburban hospitals.
Only two companies, Lifinity and Thyrocare Lab, bid for the tender. Samajwadi Party MLA and former BMC corporator Rais Shaikh criticized the delay, suggesting that the BMC should have ensured a new contractor was in place before the previous contract expired. “This gap in free diagnostic services harms citizens,” he said.
BMC officials countered that the delay hadn’t affected patients, as a temporary solution to conduct tests in-house had been implemented. They added that while two bids were received, the companies failed to negotiate lower prices with the BMC, preventing the contract from being awarded sooner.
In the previous tender, Krsnaa Diagnostics was awarded a four-year contract with a fixed quantity of tests, which was exhausted by December 2024, ending the agreement. A public health expert expressed concerns about the feasibility of conducting tests at such low rates, questioning how phlebotomists and paramedical staff would be compensated. The expert warned that delays and protests might persist under these conditions.
