KSSP demands reconstitution of task force on public health

The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) has demanded that the State government reconstitute the task force formed to study the public healthcare sector, alleging that its composition raises serious concerns over 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 expressed concern that 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.

Preliminary enquiries suggested that most members were heads of corporate hospitals or large private laboratory chains, while some officials were known for their support for privatisation, the statement said.

“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.

Without such a balance, the task force could come up with recommendations that prioritised commercial interests over people’s healthcare needs, it warned.

The parishad clarified that it was not opposed to all forms of private participation in healthcare. The crucial question, it said, was whether private participation would strengthen the public healthcare system or gradually transfer its functions, assets and decision-making powers to private interests.

While public-private partnerships (PPP) were often projected as a means of improving efficiency and reducing the government’s immediate financial burden, their long-term implications required careful scrutiny, it said.

Entrusting 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.

Experiences in other sectors had shown that reclaiming control over public facilities and essential services, once handed over to private entities, could be difficult and expensive, the statement said.

It pointed out that the strength of Kerala’s healthcare system lay not merely in individual hospitals but in the network linking 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.

Low-income families, senior citizens and patients requiring long-term treatment depended heavily on the public healthcare system. Decisions on access to treatment, the services to be retained and the charges levied on patients should not be driven by commercial considerations, it added.

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

It called for priority to be given to ensuring the effective functioning of existing hospitals, filling and retaining staff vacancies, providing adequate funds for their sustained operation and ensuring that the infrastructure created delivered the services for which it was intended.

Any change in health policy, it said, should follow a transparent assessment of the achievements, existing shortcomings and ways to strengthen the system.

“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 those directly involved in Kerala’s healthcare system and to exclude those facing allegations.

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