Privatisation compromises public health

Vijayawada: Retired IAS officer Dr PV Ramesh, who previously served as Special Chief Secretary of the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department, has urged the government to avoid privatising medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Speaking at a roundtable on ‘Privatisation of Government Medical Colleges’, jointly organised by Praja Arogya Vedika (PAV) andJan Vignana Vedika (JVV) at Balotsav Bhavan here on Sunday, Dr Ramesh emphasised that health is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution and must not depend on government goodwill. He also called for the enactment of a Right to Health Act.

Dr Ramesh noted that even in highly developed countries, governments fund medical expenses, treating public health expenditure as an investment for the future rather than a cost. Highlighting state’s poor health rankings—17th in the national health index—he warned that privatisation could compromise public welfare, as private institutions operate with a business perspective.

He described PPP-based management of government medical colleges as an anti-people measure and urged citizens, public organisations, and intellectuals to oppose it beyond political considerations.

PAV state president Dr MV Ramanaiah added that privatisation could deny poor patients’ free treatment and reduce the constitutional reservation quota by half, as private management may sell seats for Rs 12 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, turning medical education into a business.

The roundtable was attended by dignitaries including former MLCs KS Lakshmana Rao, Dr Gayanand, along with PAV and JVV representatives Dr Kurra Vasundhara, Aishe Ghosh, T Kameswara Rao, Tava Suresh, G Vijay Prakash, Madhav Rao, and A Malyadri, among others, who supported Dr Ramesh’s call for protecting public healthcare and ensuring equitable access to medical education.