Many persons, under the aegis of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), braved the heavy rain on Tuesday to form a human chain in front of the Government T.D. Medical College at Vandanam in protest against the alleged neglect of the government towards the institution.
The demonstration was also a mark of protest against the Haripad Medical College project, undertaken in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, which the activists fear would spell doom for the progress of the Alappuzha Medical College.
According to KSSP district secretary B. Krishna Kumar, establishing super-speciality departments and appointing additional staff at the hospital have never figured among the agenda of any administrator. No efforts were being made to address the existing inadequacies at the hospital.
At the same time, the government has focused all efforts on launching the Haripad Medical College, notwithstanding several obstacles. These included a legal battle with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) over a plot where it was initially planned to establish the college.
The agitators also alleged that paddy fields were being reclaimed for setting up the institute at Karuvatta. The dedicated efforts of the government were aimed at facilitating vested interests of certain private entities, they alleged.
Medical College students, members of the public, and activists of the KSSP were part of the protest.
