CPM protests against privatisation of government hospital in Udupi

The CPM workers staged a protest against the decision of the state government to privatise Udupi Government Maternity and Children’s Hospital, here at Clock Tower.

Addressing the protesters, psychiatrist P V Bhandari said the hospital is the only affordable health care facility for people below poverty line.

The hospital is not neither located in a backward or remote area nor is it part of a poorly performing public health care system. The district tops the state on maternal health indicators. In 2015-2016, the district reported only two maternal deaths. A majority of the facilities are in good and above average categories by the government’s own assessment, Bhandari said.

Despite the evidence of the damaging results of the of public-private partnerships healthcare model, the state government seems to have determined to pursue public-private partnerships. The proposed handing over of the Udupi government hospital does not fit the government’s prescription for such an arrangement, he said.

Bhandari said BRS Ventures, a company owned by NRI businessman B R Shetty, will be allowed to construct a 200-bed maternity and children’s hospital, a 400-bed super-speciality hospital and an urban community health centre. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) allows BRS Ventures to run the facilities for 60 years under the build-own-operate-transfer model.

The fact that the government is keen to sell out a well functioning and efficient government facility is worrying. Greedy private and corporate business interests have captured policy making at the central and the state-level through unconstitutional means, he charged.

He called upon political parties to condemn the government’s decision to privatise the hospital. The condemnation should come from all irrespective of party affiliations. The land was offered in charity by philanthropist Haji Abdulla some 85 years ago. The land should not be used for any purpose, other than the reason mentioned in the will of the philanthropist, he added.

Bhandari said he has also tweeted to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa and has requested for his opinion. CPM leader Balakrishna Shetty said if at all B R Shetty is keen on helping out the poor, let him donate the sophisticated health care machineries to the hospital. This would also improve the health care facilities offered at the hospital, he added.