Praja Arogya Vedika members releasing a poster of the upcoming seminar on the impact of privatisation of healthcare in Andhra Pradesh, in Vijayawada on Monday.
In response to the State government’s plans to hand over management of 10 medical colleges to private entities and its decision to establish super-specialty hospitals under the public-private partnership (PPP) model in every Assembly constituency, Praja Arogya Vedika is organising a seminar on the impact of privatisation of the healthcare sector.
Addressing the media in Vijayawada on Monday, the Vedika members said that the seminar titled ‘Privatisation of the Healthcare Sector: Impacts and Solutions’, will be held on August 24 at the M.B. Vignana Kendram Auditorium.
Vedika’s organising secretary G. Vijay Prakash said that the introduction of Government Orders (GOs) 107 and 108 in the State has resulted in half of the seats in the newly-established and upcoming government medical colleges being sold off. The practice reduces reservation quotas, diminishing opportunities for students from marginalised communities, Mr. Vijay Prakash said. The fees, too, have skyrocketed, he added.
The members said that the seminar will discuss these subjects at length. G.V.S. Murthy, a professor from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who has extensive experience in public health privatisation, will elaborate on the topics.
Additionally, the seminar will address the growing severity of cancers due to lifestyle, habits, and environmental factors. Experts from the MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, St. Theresa Hospital and ASVINS Hospital, Hyderabad, would be taking part. The members released posters of the seminar on Monday.
Published – August 11, 2025 07:06 pm IST
