A SEMINAR on “Experience of Successful Running of Public Hospitals” was organised on August 22 at the XISS Auditorium in Ranchi. This seminar was a follow-up of a state-level convention on “Health Policy and Drug Policy - Jharkhand” held on August 16 at the Social Development Centre in the state capital. The convention was jointly organised by six organisations -- Jharkhand Nagrik Pryas, BGVS, Science for Society, Jharkhand State Health Workers Association, BSSR Union, and Jharkhand Science Forum.

The convention registered 189 participants from 16 districts of the state representing individuals and organisations of doctors, economists, scientists, university and college teachers, Central University of Jharkhand and BIT Mesra students, research scholars, government health workers, and activists of social, health and science movements.

Dr. Kajal Shekhar Choudhary, state secretary of Indian Medical Association (IMA), inaugurated the convention. Sixteen speakers including economist Ramesh Sharan, geologist Uday Kumar, Neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Kumar, civil society member P P Verma, CITU leader Amit Roy, AIDWA leader Renu Prakash, and IMA president Dr. J K Mitra addressed the meet. Joint secretary of Jharkhand Science Forum Prabhat Singh presented a background note, along with resolutions.

The convention observed that the Jharkhand government was directionless without any health and drug policy. The ministry of health and family welfare has announced so many programmes and schemes but has only one policy declaration to its credit -- the “Policy Guideline on Public Private Partnership for Establishment of Medical Colleges, Speciality and Super Speciality Hospitals, Nursing Schools and Institutes for Paramedicals, 2006. The whole document centres around the point that “the health sector in Jharkhand is given the status of industry”. Investment of Rs 1 crore in the health sector will qualify as per industrial policy. The government clarifies that this exercise is to inculcate professionalism in the health sector. Attempt of the Indian Medical Association, Jharkhand to present a Policy Document (2004) was disregarded by the government.

Jharkhand is the most ‘Primary Healthcare’ deficient state, compared to its neighbours -- Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Due to faulty healthcare system or otherwise, approximately 20 per cent of population depend on traditional and unscientific methods. Super Speciality care, both public and private combined, is backward and paltry. As a result, there is a huge outflow of patients to other states for treatment and organ transplants, etc. It is evident that existing healthcare infrastructure is one-thirds of the requirement and existing human resource is one-tenths of its requirement. Despite low budgetary allocations, every year huge funds remain unutilised.

Successive state governments pursued the policy of PPP mode. Due to increasing public resentments in last six months and other reasons, the Raghuvar Das-led BJP dispensation has officially announced to backtrack from PPP mode. The Chief Minister and the Health Minister have given statements that running of public hospitals and developing of Super Speciality Healthcare facilities are direct responsibility of the state government and that public hospitals will not be handed over to any corporate. For the first time any NDA or UPA government had to retreat from PPP mode. However, there cannot be any illusion that the state government is diluting their vested interests. The chief minister has made it clear that they will be adopting the policy of outsourcing of doctors and other human resources. Accordingly, the BJP government has already declared to privatise radiology and pathology of all three medical colleges and 23 district hospitals. In June, the state government  allotted 2.8 acres of Land to a private hospital at Rupee one only, whereas it failed to provide land for ESIS Medical College.

The convention unanimously adopted a resolution stating that “since state government has failed to present any Health Policy and Drug Policy and is moving directionless, this convention in the interest of the common people resolves to prepare such policy documents and press for its adoption”.

It also put forward a list of demands and resolved to fight for them. The demands include: The state must take moral ownership of people’s healthcare in terms of finance, administration, management, conceptualisation, planning and execution without involving any private agency (foreign or Indian); As per WHO guideline health expenditure should be 5 per cent of GDP; To increase composite infrastructure of primary health by three-folds to match the requirement of state; To increase human resources by 10 times for effective functioning of required health infrastructure of the state; To pay special attention for rapid advancement of Speciality Healthcare so that harassment and outflow of ailing population of Jharkhand to other states can be stopped; To make stringent regulations against the Private Healthcare Sector to keep their notorious activities and tariffs under strict control; To strengthen Primary healthcare for complete eradication of malaria, malignant malaria, T.B., Filaria, MDR-TB, Leprosy, deficiency related blindness, anaemia like common diseases; To ensure free accessibility of all life saving and essential drugs; To develop all 21 proposed Trauma Centres in Jharkhand. The convention also decided to form Jharkhand Swasthya Abhiyan to fight for the demands. (END)