‘MP govt move to privatise community health centres serious concern for public health’

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government’s initiative to hand over Community Health Centers (CHCs) to private organizations in the name of addressing the shortage of healthcare services in rural areas is a serious concern for public health, the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) Madhya Pradesh has said.

The JSA unit – a people’s health movement - said that the move is yet another attempt to implement a model that has failed to strengthen healthcare systems both in India and around the world.

According to available information, the state government plans to hand over 18 Community Health Centers in the districts of Rewa, Dewas, and Guna to private organizations in the initial phase, and if the experiment is considered successful, it intends to expand the model across the entire state, the JSA MP added.

This is not the first time Madhya Pradesh has attempted to transfer public health institutions into private hands. Earlier, on 3 November 2015, the State Health Society entered into an agreement with Deepak Foundation to handover some services of Alirajpur District Hospital and Jobat Community Health Center, allegedly overlooking established rules.

Under the arrangement, the foundation was responsible for appointing doctors. However, the model failed to deliver results, no improvement in the region’s health indicators was observed, and the government was ultimately compelled to withdraw the initiative, a JSA statement said.

In 2020–21, NITI Aayog suggested handing over district hospitals to private entities, a proposal that the then Madhya Pradesh government rejected. However, in 2024–25, the state government once again attempted to transfer 13 district hospitals to the private sector.

This move was opposed by the Medical Teachers Association, Government Autonomous Medical Officers Association, MP Medical Officers Association, Government Autonomous Medical Federation, ESI Medical Officers, Medical Education Medical Officers, Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association, Manorama, Madhya Pradesh Nursing Officer Association, Contract Doctors Association, ASHA/ASHA Sahyogini Shramik Sangh, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Madhya Pradesh (JSAI), the “Asptal Bachao–jiv Bachao” Network, lawyers, and ordinary citizens, all of whom united against the privatization of healthcare services in the state.

Following this opposition, the government announced that it would withdraw the district hospital privatization plan. However, later, under the banner of Public-Private Partnership (PPP), the government proposed allocating land to private institutions at nominal rates.

The renewed effort to hand over Community Health Centers to the private sector signals a retreat from the state’s responsibility toward public healthcare. The sole objective of private healthcare institutions is profit-making, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, society witnessed firsthand the profiteering practices of private hospitals and medical colleges.

For the past several years, the state government has consistently attempted to privatize healthcare services and institutions, making its intentions and priorities increasingly clear.

“We believe that as a welfare state, the government’s primary responsibility and duty is to provide citizens with basic facilities such as education, healthcare, employment, food, and housing as fundamental rights. This step by the government violates the fundamental Right to Life under Article 21 and is also contrary to the Directive Principles of State Policy and Article 47 of the Constitution,” JSA said.

The Abhiyan’s National Convener, Amulya Nidhi, stated that various health indicators, including the recent Sample Registration System (SRS) report, demonstrate that strengthening the state’s healthcare system requires attention to the availability of doctors, primary healthcare services, accountability, and better health management—not the weakening of government institutions through privatization.

According to Rural Health Statistics 2021–22, rural Madhya Pradesh faces shortages of 4,134 Sub-Health Centers, 1,045 Primary Health Centers, and 245 Community Health Centers. Similar deficiencies also exist in tribal and urban areas. In addition, there is a shortage of doctors and other medical and paramedical staff in these facilities.

The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Madhya Pradesh believes that the government should focus on strengthening institutions that provide primary healthcare services and addressing these deficiencies. 

According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin issued by the Office of the Registrar General of India, although India’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined to 24 per 1,000 live births, it remains 35 in Madhya Pradesh. Weak referral systems in public hospitals are also among the major causes of preventable maternal and infant deaths. Due to inadequate facilities at district hospitals and sub-district centers, pregnant women, newborns, and critically ill children are often forced to travel long distances to tertiary hospitals and medical colleges. Delays in referral, transportation, and treatment are costing lives, particularly in rural, tribal, and underserved areas. In such a context, the privatization of public institutions is deeply concerning for the public. 

The private healthcare sector is already largely unregulated. Handing over Community Health Centers and primary healthcare services to private entities could further reduce access to healthcare for poor, rural, and vulnerable populations. It would weaken primary healthcare, preventive services, and the public health system as a whole.

The JSA unit has put forth the following demands:

-         The initiative to privatize Community Health Centers should be withdrawn immediately.

-         Permanent appointments of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers should be made in government hospitals.

-         The government should engage in dialogue with health experts, civil society organizations, and communities to strengthen the public healthcare system.

-         Healthcare should be treated as a citizens’ right, not as a business.

The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Madhya Pradesh believes that a strong public healthcare system is the foundation of Universal Health Care, not privatization. This decision by the government runs contrary to the spirit of the right to health and will deprive needy populations of essential healthcare services, the statement said.

Image Courtesy: Website of Public Health Movement of India