Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad seeks reconstitution of government’s health task force

The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) has sought the reconstitution of the government’s 16-member high-level task force on health, claiming that it does not include members who have directly worked within the State’s public health sector, possess practical experience with its healthcare system, or have conducted significant research on the health issues here.

C. Ramakrishnan, president, and V. Manoj Kumar, general secretary, KSSP, said in a statement here on Tuesday that remarks from those in responsible positions, casting doubts on health systems which had been improved through the expenditure of public funds, only serve to aggravate concerns related to the task force’s composition.

The KSSP functionaries claimed that a majority of its members were heads of corporate hospitals or large private laboratory chains. It also includes officials known for their pro-privatisation stance. They said that though the KSSP was not opposed to using the expertise of specialists in private healthcare institutions for health policy making, such committees must also include appropriate representation from public health experts, doctors with long-standing experience in government hospitals, health economists, researchers studying disease spread, those conducting research on health systems, and representatives of the population groups that rely on government hospitals. In the absence of this balance, there was a risk of commercial interests getting priority over the people’s health needs, they said.

The KSSP leaders said that the core question was whether private participation was strengthening the public health system or if it was gradually transferring the system’s operations, assets, and decision-making authority to private interests. The long-term implications of public-private partnership agreements must be carefully examined. If functions like diagnostic testing, specialised treatments, and hospital management were increasingly entrusted to private agencies, the government’s control over costs, service priorities, and the conditions under which patients receive care may diminish.

Mr. Ramakrishnan and Mr. Manoj Kumar said that the strength of Keralam’s health system was dependent not merely on the excellence of individual hospitals, but also on the interconnectedness among various institutions—ranging from primary health centres and community health centres to district hospitals, medical colleges, and specialised treatment centres.

Individuals with diabetes or high blood pressure should have access to continuous treatment close to home. Those requiring dialysis, cardiac care, or other specialised medical treatments should be able to access these services without facing financial ruin. The public health system serves as a vital support for low-income families, the elderly, and patients requiring long-term medical treatment. Decisions regarding who should receive treatment, which services should be maintained, and how much patients should be charged must not be driven by commercial interests. The objective of the task force should be to ensure that medical treatment is accessible, affordable, and provided without discrimination, they added.