KSSP Demands Reconstitution of Kerala Public Health Task Force

The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad has urged the State government to reconstitute the task force formed to study the public healthcare sector, saying its present composition raises serious concerns about the future of Keralam’s public health system.

In a statement, the organisation said government hospitals at various levels remained the primary source of healthcare for ordinary people. It said the task force did not include members with direct experience of Keralam’s public health system or those who had conducted significant research on the State’s health challenges.

According to the statement, preliminary enquiries suggested that most members of the task force were heads of corporate hospitals or large private laboratory chains. It also said some officials on the task force were known for supporting privatisation.

KSSP seeks wider representation

The Parishad said it was not opposed to drawing on the expertise of specialists from private healthcare institutions. However, it said committees examining public healthcare must also include public health experts, doctors with long experience in government hospitals, health economists, epidemiologists, health systems researchers and representatives of people dependent on government hospitals.

“The Parishad is not opposed to drawing on the expertise of specialists from private healthcare institutions. However, public health experts, doctors with long experience in government hospitals, health economists, epidemiologists, health systems researchers and representatives of people dependent on government hospitals must also have adequate representation in such committees,” it said.

KSSP warned that without such a balance, the task force could produce recommendations that prioritised commercial interests over people’s healthcare needs. The Parishad clarified that it was not opposed to all forms of private participation in healthcare.

The organisation said the crucial question was whether private participation would strengthen the public healthcare system or gradually transfer its functions, assets and decision-making powers to private interests.

Concerns over public-private partnerships

The Parishad said public-private partnerships were often presented as a way to improve efficiency and reduce the government’s immediate financial burden. It added that their long-term implications required careful scrutiny.

According to the statement, handing diagnostic services, specialised treatment and hospital management to private agencies could weaken government control over costs, service priorities and access to treatment. Poorly designed contracts could also impose an additional financial burden on both the government and patients.

The statement said experiences in other sectors had shown that reclaiming control over public facilities and essential services could become difficult and expensive once they were handed over to private entities.

KSSP’s concern therefore extends beyond the composition of the task force to the direction that future health policy recommendations could take. The Parishad said decisions on private participation should be assessed for their effect on the public system, rather than only for their possible short-term financial or administrative benefits.

Focus on the public health network

The Parishad said the strength of Kerala’s healthcare system lay not merely in individual hospitals but in the network connecting primary health centres, community health centres, district hospitals, medical colleges and specialised treatment facilities.

“People with diabetes or hypertension should be able to access continuous care close to their homes. At the same time, those requiring dialysis, cardiac care or other specialised treatment must be able to access these services without being pushed into financial distress,” it said.

The organisation said low-income families, senior citizens and patients requiring long-term treatment depended heavily on the public healthcare system. It added that decisions on access to treatment, the services to be retained and the charges levied on patients should not be driven by commercial considerations.

Call to protect existing facilities

KSSP said the achievements made in Kerala’s healthcare sector, particularly over the past decade, could not be taken for granted. It said facilities built with public money belonged to the people and should provide affordable, accessible and non-discriminatory treatment for all.

The Parishad called for priority to be given to the effective functioning of existing hospitals. It also sought the filling and retention of staff vacancies, adequate funds for sustained operation and the delivery of the services for which the infrastructure had been created.

Any change in health policy, it said, should follow a transparent assessment of the sector’s achievements, existing shortcomings and ways to strengthen the system. This assessment, according to the statement, should cover both the performance of existing hospitals and the effect of proposed changes on people who depend on them.

“Changes must be evidence-based, accountable to the public and guided by people’s interests. Neither ideological commitments to privatisation nor the commercial interests of those who stand to profit from it should dictate health policy,” the statement said.

The Parishad urged the government to reconstitute the task force with greater representation of people directly involved in Kerala’s healthcare system. It also called for the exclusion of those facing allegations.

The statement was issued by KSSP general secretary V. Manoj Kumar and president C. Ramakrishnan.

Source: The Hindu