Donations received by BMC helps provide treatment to 25K

Donations of over Rs 33 crore received by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) helped provide medical treatment to over 25,000 poor and needy patients, a senior civic official has said.
BMC-run hospitals and dispensaries have collectively received over Rs 33 crore in last 11-months, said the official.
These funds are part of the Poor Box Charitable Fund (PBCF), which has been set up by the civic body since 1926, to help financially poor and needy patients in its four main hospitals - KEM in Parel, Lokmanya Tilak Hospital in Sion, B Y L Nair in Mumbai Central and R N Cooper in Vile Parle.

The donations made to this fund have been exempted from tax under section 80-G of the Income Tax Act.
"From April 2016 to February 2017, total of Rs 33.35 crore were donated to this fund, out of which Parel situated KEM hospital received Rs 20.39 crore.
"BYL Nair Hospital received Rs 7.74 crore, Lokmanya Tilak hospital received 2.08 crore and R N Cooper hospital received 2.48 crore in the same period," said the official.

While BMC's various dispensaries, maternity homes and special clinics received donations of over Rs 65 lakhs collectively in the same period, he said.
Besides, corporate companies, various welfare groups, individuals too have contributed to the fund.

"Patients after undergoing treatment donate some amount at the time of discharge from the hospital to the fund," said the official.
"This fund was used for the treatment of those ailments, which are not covered in various medical schemes of the union and the state governments and for those patients who are unable to raise funds for their treatment," he said.