NGO condemns state move to privatise health care

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 22

The state government’s move to privatise primary health care through public-private partnership (PPP) model has been condemned by the Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR).

In press statement released on Tuesday, Dr Ajit Pal Singh, press secretary of AFDR district unit, said getting affordable and good health care was the primary, fundamental and democratic right of the people and it was the constitutional duty of the state government to provide the same.

Bagga Singh, district president, and Pritpal Singh, general secretary, of AFDR Bathinda said the existing infrastructure and buildings of the primary health centres in the rural and urban areas were not the personal property of any individual. The buildings had been built and developed from the money collected by the government from people through taxes, so the government had no right to hand over these buildings to private players to earn profit.

They alleged that the government’s move showed that it had failed to provide affordable primary health care to the people of the state and that is why it was withdrawing from its duty in the health sector. This step was anti people and anti constitutional.

The AFDR urged the government to raise the health budget to 10 per cent of the general budget to meet the growing needs of the people of Punjab. The association also appealed to the state residents to raise their voice against the government move to privatise the primary health care by handing it over to private players to earn profit.