Medical fraternity slams govt’s ‘privatisation’ move

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 28

Opposing government’s decision of giving administrative control of the government medical institutes in the hands of private players, various members of the medical fraternity organised a massive protest at Rajindra Hospital Patiala on Thursday. 

The protesters included dental teachers, senior and junior resident doctors, nurses, para-medical and ministerial staff and Class IV employees.

In August, Capt Amarinder Singh had constituted a high-level committee, headed by Dr KK Talwar, Adviser, Health, Medical Education and Reseach, Government of Punjab, to restructure the administrative setup of government medical colleges in Patiala and Amritsar. 

The protesters said the decision was a step forward towards the privatisation of the medical institutions. 

The protest was called by various employees’ associations, under the banner of Anti- Autonomous Joint Medical Action Group, formed to get rid of the decision of the government.

Except emergency services, OPDs and operation theatre services at the hospital, teaching in medical and dental colleges and official work remained suspended for more than two hours.

Speaking at the protest meeting, representatives of the various associations urged Punjab Chief Minister to revoke the decision. They added that the medical education adviser should be immediately removed from his responsibility for misguiding the state government.

They also demanded decentralisation of the administrative powers to administrative heads of the various medical institutes. They also asked for budget allocation at par with the PGIMER, Chandigarh to make the colleges financial viable and independent. The reforms should be initiated at the grassroots and not by giving the administrative control to private players, said the protesting professors.

Dr DS Bhullar, General Secretary, Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association, said, “The state government is shying away from its responsibility of giving affordable patient care and medical education to the needy. In fact, to hide their inability of running these institutes well, the government has decided to give these institutes into private hands. We will not tolerate this at any cost.”                             

The protesters also submitted a memorandum to Patiala MP, Preneet Kaur through OSD Rajesh Sharma at Moti Bag Palace.