Fight against privatization of medical colleges will continue

Vizianagaram, Nov 12: Stating that the Praja Garjana programme against the privatization of medical colleges has been a grand success despite police attempts to scuttle the protest, the YSRCP said it will reverse the decision after assuming office.

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Botsa Satyanarayana said the police had tried to create hurdles for the protests, which are a democratic right of the opposition.

A large posse of police personnel was deployed even in a small place like Cheepurupalli, and it looked as if the police were conducting a rasta roko, making a mockery of the police force.

The public health system will be out of reach for the poorer sections, and medical education will also become unaffordable for the common man if the government continues its policy of privatization.

“We have been protesting against such faulty policies of the government and striving to safeguard the various welfare cushions our government had put in place for the common people,” he said.

From medical expenses to the high cost of fees in medical colleges, the government’s policy has been creating a divide between various sections of society, he said.

“We are collecting one crore signatures against the privatization of medical colleges and will submit them to the Governor. The fight against privatization will continue until the decision is rolled back,” he said.

With pending Aarogyasri bills, quality medicare has been taken away from the common man. “Our leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is firm on the issue of keeping public health under the government sector, as the private sector looks only for profits,” he said.

He further said the coalition has failed on all fronts, and farmers are bearing the brunt as they are not getting MSP for any crop, while input subsidy and crop insurance have been done away with.

He also flayed the coalition for trying to hijack all the programmes initiated by the previous government, adding that it has done nothing new on its own.