World Health Day: Privatization of government hospitals through PPPs flagged

On World Health Day public health activists and doctors have expressed concern over the privatization of public health services and the handing over of district hospitals and health centres to private entities. They flagged the handing over of district hospitals to private entities in Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Karnataka.

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), a network of organisations and individuals working on public health have submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu and chief ministers and health ministers of 18 states with several demands including an increase in funding for public health to 2.5% of the GDP, putting an end to privatization of healthcare services, strengthening and expanding the public health sector and ensuring food security, safe drinking water, employment, women safety and so on as major determinants of health.

Recently, Jharkhand government announced that medical colleges will be opened in PPP (public-private partnership) mode in six districts including Deoghar, Khunti, Giridih, Jamtara and Jamshedpur. In Karnataka, it has been reported that new medical colleges will be established in the 11 districts without a government medical college--Tumakuru, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Bagalkot, Kolar, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Bengaluru Rural, Vijayapura, Vijayanagara and Ramanagaram. These are expected to be done in PPP mode. In Uttar Pradesh medical colleges have been established in Maharajganj, Shamli and Sambhal in PPP mode. The UP medical education department has stated that 16 districts qualify for a medical college in district hospitals in PPP mode. Madhya Pradesh floated tenders for starting medical colleges in 10 districts last year. The state also initiated the process to hand over 10 government-run trauma centres and 13 path labs to the private sector.

JSA has asked for the universal implementation of the Clinical Establishment Act in all states and for implementing rate control and standard treatment guidelines in the private health sector. It also asked for medicines to be provided free at public facilities and for no tax on life saving essential medicines.