Chandrababu Naidu privatizing healthcare

Tadepalli, April 8: Former MLA Gopireddy Srinivas Reddy has accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to privatize public healthcare, burdening the poor with high costs. He criticized Naidu for neglecting the Aarogyasri scheme, leaving Rs. 3,500 crore in unpaid dues despite repeated appeals from ASHA, pushing hospitals to the brink of closure. Network hospitals, forced to charge patients directly, now demand up to Rs. 1 lakh for bypass surgeries under Aarogyasri. Naidu plans to hand over 17 medical colleges built by former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to private entities and shift healthcare to insurance companies by withholding hospital payments.

In contrast YS Jagan strengthened public healthcare by introducing village clinics, establishing 80 new PHCs, and creating 54,000 healthcare jobs. Under YS Jagan, Aarogyasri aided 14 lakh people with Rs. 13,000 crore in medical support over five years. 

Gopireddy Srinivas Reddy demanded Naidu to clarify the future of Aarogyasri and urged him to abandon privatization plans, warning against dismantling the system out of political spite. “If free healthcare isn’t provided, what’s the government’s purpose?” he asked, stressing the need to protect the poor’s healthcare rights.