Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

CPI activists stage protest against G.O. 118

ANANTAPUR: Protests against the process of according the semi-autonomous status to the Government Medical College (GMC) and the attached teaching (general) hospital here continued on Tuesday with the activists of CPI and its frontal organisations staging a protest in front of the hospital. The doctors and other staff associations of the college and hospital are, however, yet to chalk out their strategy in opposing the Government move.

The activists of CPI and its frontal organisations AITUC, AISF, AIYF and Mahila Samakhya protested in front of the entrance of the general hospital by sitting on their knees and exhibiting placards and banners written with slogans against G.O. 118 and privatisation of the college and hospital. They raised slogans against the Government and demanded immediate withdrawal of the GO aimed at phase privatisation.

Led by C. Jaffer, P. Narayanaswamy, D. Rushyendrababu, D. Shakuntala, A. Sreeramulu, D. Raja Reddy, A. Lingamaiah and G. Nagabhushanam they also met in-charge Superintendent of the hospital M. Jagannath and submitted a memorandum. On the other hand, district secretary of CPI (M) G. Obulakonda Reddy condemned the government move aimed at phased privatisations of the medical college and hospital.

The GO 118 was aimed at denying a major healthcare facility to the poor and downtrodden in this drought-prone district

He alleged that the ruling party leaders were conniving to take over the hospital in the name of semi-autonomous status in a phased manner. After earning huge easy money by displacing the poor from slums and grabbing valuable Government lands and pocketing tenders of different projects, the ruling party leaders had now turned their attention to the health sector, he said.

Instead of giving huge sums to corporate hospital under Arogyasri scheme, the Government could as well develop infrastructure in Government hospitals with the funds and offer similar services to the poor free of cost, he suggested.

He urged the Government to withdraw the G.O. and stop proceeding from privatising the hospital.

The AP Government Doctors’ Association decided on Tuesday night that they would launch a non-cooperation agitation against the issuance of G.O. 118 . The decision was taken in a meeting of the association.

Accordingly, the doctors would attend only emergency cases only. It was also decided to stage a protest in front of the residence of Anantapur MP A. Venkatarami Reddy here on May 17 as it was he who had convinced them that the GMC would be excluded from the new arrangement.

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