Report By Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
The Public Private Participation (PPP) is a preferred model being adopted to hand over public health service facilities to private entities. We have earlier reported about struggles which people of Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh are waging against such PPP mode privatization of public hospitals. Another heroic and persistent struggle is being waged by people against privatization of Vyara District Hospital in Gujarat.
Affordable healthcare is a very important need for every member of working class families, irrespective of whether one is working in a public sector enterprise or a private sector enterprise. In this 21st Century it is rightly acknowledged as one of the fundamental rights of every human being by dint of being human. It thus has to be one of the primary responsibility of any government to ensure good quality affordable health care for all. Instead of formulating policies to ensure fulfilment of this responsibility, government after government, especially after the launch of new economic policy of Globalization by liberalization and privatization, have been systematically crippling all public services including public health. As a result, good quality health care is becoming more and more unaffordable for an increasing number of working people.
Vyara, is a town in the tribal-dominated district of Tapi in South Gujarat. More than 2 years ago, when people of Vyara came to know that the state government of Gujarat is planning to hand over Vyara District hospital to private hands to run a medical college, people started mobilising against this anti-people plan. In September 2023, an awareness yatra travelled through around 150 villages across the Tapi district. The support to this struggle grew rapidly. Soon, the streets of Vyara saw sit-ins outside the district headquarters, rallies with banners saying “Our Hospital in Our Hands”, and memoranda being handed to officials. Throughout 2024 till now many dharanas, sit-ins, social media campaigns have been organized. Recently in early March 2025, tribal activists and community members successfully organized a 60-Day sit-in and fast within the hospital premises. They demanded a written assurance that the hospital would not be handed over to any company. This widespread movement continued until the beginning of May 2025.
In July, in a meeting with Vyara activists, the Chief Minister of Gujarat arrogantly declared that: “People across Gujarat have no problem with privatization, so why are you protesting? Do whatever you want, this deal will not stop.” However, the fact is that due to this persistent and heroic opposition, privatization plan has slowed down and—for now, the handover has not gone ahead.
Remarkable aspect of this struggle has been massive mobilization of tribals and other activists including health activists and activists of other mass movements and workers and peoples’ organizations. They have raised one of the most unifying issues – “health care is a right of every human being and universal good quality healthcare is government’s one of the primary responsibilities and that the health care cannot be allowed for private profiteering’’. Another remarkable aspect is the participation of a huge number of women in this struggle.
People of Vyara have thus raised a very important issue which should be of concern for every member of working class. Their struggle deserves to be saluted and deserves whole hearted support from all the working people of our country.
For a detailed report of the struggle, please see the link below
