Leaders Oppose PPP In Medical Colleges, Demand Strengthening Public Hospitals

USPA NEWS - Amalapuram witnessed a strong call on Monday to withdraw the state government’s public–private partnership (PPP) policy for medical colleges, with leaders, unions, and rights groups warning that the move would undermine affordable healthcare and medical education.

GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT SOUGHT

Speakers suggested that allocating Rs 5,000 crore at once, or Rs 600 crore annually in the state budget, would complete the pending medical colleges within five years. They stressed that human development was possible only if education and healthcare remained under government control.

CPM Leaders Criticize Privatization Policy

At a roundtable meeting organized at the CITU office, CPM State Committee Member Dadala Subbarao said the coalition government’s decision to introduce PPP in medical education was “unprecedented in the country” and would deprive poor and middle-class students of opportunities.

He alleged the policy was designed to divert public money into private hands at the lowest cost, leading to the gradual privatization of the entire medical sector.

District Leaders Warn Of Misleading Claims

Presiding over the meeting, CPM District Convener Kaarem Venkateswara Rao said the government was misleading people by claiming that colleges were not being handed over to private companies, but only their structures. He pointed out that many college buildings, including the one in Samanasa village, were already partially constructed under the previous government.

Venkateswara Rao condemned the leasing of these buildings—funded jointly by the central (60%) and state (40%) governments—for 60 years to private entities, calling it “a handover of public property to investors at throwaway prices.”

Call For Government Investment

Speakers suggested that allocating Rs 5,000 crore at once, or Rs 600 crore annually in the state budget, would complete the pending medical colleges within five years. They stressed that human development was possible only if education and healthcare remained under government control.

Public Movement Urged In Konaseema

Leaders, including Dr. B R Ambedkar, emphasized the need for a united movement to protect the Amalapuram medical college and oppose privatization in Konaseema district. They urged students, youth, and citizens to join the agitation to safeguard public property.

Wide Participation From Civil Society

The meeting saw participation from various organizations and unions, including HRF, PDSU, KVPS, UTF, Dalit Stree Shakti, Mala Mahanadu, Agricultural Workers Union, Rights Associations, CPI, RPI, AIDWA, and Building Construction Workers Association. Leaders such as A Ravi, P Pawan, Revu Tirupati Rao, Shetty Battula Tulasi Rao, BN Sivakumar, Konku Rajamani, Gadla Venkateswara Rao, Mohan Rao, B Ramana and several others expressed solidarity against the PPP policy.