LUCKNOW, Nov. 8 -- The Uttar Pradesh health department has planned to give four hospitals under the private-public-partnership (PPP) mode in a bid to increase specialist medical facilities. The aim is to provide regular specialist services to patients. The hospitals, including one in Banda (200-bed), Mother and Child Wing Hospital in Ambedkar Nagar (200-bed), Combined Hospital in Bareilly (300-bed), and Mother and Child Wing Hospital in Khoh, Chitrakoot (200-bed), have been identified and the state cabinet has approved them to run under the PPP mode. "The hospital in Bareilly will be the first to go on PPP mode as the proposal has been approved by the state," said director general, medical health, Uttar Pradesh, Dr Pawan Kumar Arun. According to the plan, the diagnostic facilities will be charged at par with the fee taken by King George's Medical University, Lucknow apart from the low cost medicine and Ayushman card facility. Hospitals will run on Equip, Finance Operate, Maintain, and Transfer (EFOMT) format and the agreement will be for 30 years after which the entire property will be handed over to the state government. "Once things go smooth with the first hospitals and results of the same are evaluated in terms of patient care, other hospitals will also be given under the PPP," said Dr Pawan Kumar Arun. Among speciality facilities include medicine, general surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedic, ENT, paediatric, ophthalmology, neurology, urology, nephrology, cardiology. As the decision has been taken, now bidders will be invited to apply tender following which the best offer shall be given the chance....