Representatives of various organisations demanded withdrawal of G.O. No. 33 relating to privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) immediately.
At a roundtable, organised by the Praja Aarogya Vedika, here on Saturday, the speakers flayed the State government for trying to privatise all medical services in the State. The previous government had proposed to set up VIMS on a 100-acre site to provide medical services on the lines of NIMS in Hyderabad.
Soon after assuming power, the TDP government had tried to privatise VIMS but had to give up following stiff opposition from people’s organisations in 2016.
Though it had appointed temporary staff and started medical services, it failed to provide funds. The speakers demanded that the government should develop VIMS in a full-fledged manner by allocating funds, appointing full time staff and provide super speciality medical services to the poor at nominal cost.
Privatisation plans
They alleged that the government was trying to privatise VIMS through backdoor methods and hand over the land to private agencies at throwaway prices. Already lab services were privatised at all government hospitals in the State.
President of the Forum for Better Visakha E.A.S. Sarma, People for India representatives Ramana and B.L. Narayana, Medical Representatives Union leaders KVP Chandrmouli and Praja Aarogya Vedika convener T. Kameswara Rao were among those who attended.
