Withdraw proposal to privatise Visakhapatnam Port Authority’s hospital, unions urge Centre
They threaten to launch massive protests on the issue
The Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA)-owned hospital at Kailasapuram in the city limits would be privatised if the proposal made by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) became a reality, the leaders of CITU affiliated unions here alleged.
They urged the ministry to immediately withdraw the proposal.
According to a release here on Saturday, CITU affiliate United Port & Dock Employees Union general secretary K. Satyanarayana, and Dock Workers Union general secretary B. Lakshmana Rao, on Friday (July 26) during the Parliamentary sessions, the Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced the ministry’s proposal to lease the VPA hospital to private parties in public private partnership (PPP) mode for ₹222.43 crore.
The 80-bed hospital run by the VPA along the old NH-16 stretch near the Port Stadium has been serving people including port workers and their families for decades. Now, the government wants to give it to private parties to develop it into a 300-bed multi-super speciality hospital, they added.
“The Minister said that this proposal has been made to reduce the medical expenses of port employees, workers and their families. But, that is a lie. This proposal will completely affect the lives of 4,000 workers, employees, their families and 13,000 pensioners. If this hospital is leased to private individuals, the real beneficiaries concerned will not get proper medical and health services,” the union leaders said in the release.
They said that the concept of PPP mode has been a complete failure in the ports sector as per reports of the Comptroller & Auditor General.
“It is a heinous act of the NDA led by BJP government to transfer public assets into private hands in the name of PPP policy. In 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years, the VPA registered record sales and profits of ₹276 core and ₹380 crore respectively. If the government and VPA have a real intention to benefit the port workers and employees, pensioners and families, they can develop the existing hospital by providing advanced medical equipment on their own instead of giving it to others through PPP mode. The proposal to give the VPA Golden Jubilee Hospital to private individuals under the PPP system is unfortunate,” said Mr. Satyanarayana and Mr. Lakshmana Rao.
If the government and VPA officials do not withdraw the proposal, the unions will oppose it with massive protests in the future, they warned.
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