100+ activists write to CM, Health Minister over govt hospitals

Hyderabad: In an open letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha, women’s rights and social activists from Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana on Monday, October 26, flagged the state of government hospitals in the state capital.

They also hoped for a law on the Right to Health in the state.

Signed by 100+ women, the letter says, “If such questions must be raised even regarding the capital city, one can hardly imagine that the situation in district headquarters or mandal-level hospitals is any better.”

Adding that the signatories understand how overworked doctors and other medical staff of government hospitals are, it says, “Have you, or anyone close to you, ever visited a government hospital for medical needs while in power? Perhaps people like you have never found yourselves in a position where you needed to seek treatment there! If the public is drifting away from government hospitals and being pushed into the clutches of the corporate healthcare system, it is undeniably because politicians and governments like yours lack genuine sincerity.”

‘Experienced doctors but conditions dire’

It acknowledges that government hospitals “possess superior research capabilities and host highly experienced doctors and staff. However, the conditions are frequently so dire…that it is no wonder people struggle to escape such environments.”

It says that the government’s failure to provide even basic amenities ‘effectively insults the expertise of these professionals’.

“What is the point of your governments and your ministerial positions if you cannot even provide basic necessities like clean drinking water and functional toilet facilities? Are the people solely to blame for the unsanitary conditions and the unbearable stench in these facilities?”

Among the critical components, the letter mentions access to drinking water, water-related facilities and the maintenance of toilets in government hospitals.

The letter signs off with a demand that “the political establishment and the government work toward strengthening the public health and medical system, specifically by addressing the lack of basic amenities that currently forces ordinary citizens to abandon government hospitals. We also hope the Govt. of Telangana will consider coming up with a strong law on the Right to Health soon, through a consultative process with the public and people’s organisations.”

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