Addressing an international conference on ‘Re-claiming and Re-imagining Public Services: Perspectives from the Global South’ at the United Theological College in the city, Minister of State for Medical Education, Karnataka Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil expressed deep concern about the inequity in the health sector in Karnataka. ‘There is an urgent need to put in place a robust regulatory framework that benefits the poor. This can happen not only by resisting privatization but also by scaling up the number of public health facilities including the number of super specialty hospitals ’, he said.
Minister Patil announced that instead of licenses for private colleges, he had proposed six new government medical colleges in different districts of Karnataka. More importantly, he pointed out that the government had recently rejected a proposal to privatize diagnostic facilities in the state.
The minister was also cognizant of the non-availability of doctors in rural areas, despite the large number of medical colleges in the state. ‘We have suggested compulsory rural service for doctors from both government and private colleges and will also aim to ensure that medical education is reclaimed as a public good’ he added.
Uruguayan academic Daniel Chavez spoke about how the new left governments and social movements in Latin America are attempting to re-imagine the public after successfully reversing and resisting privatization. This re-imagination includes pushing the boundaries of the public sector and introducing criteria such as equity, ecology, transparency, sustainability, fair labour and solidarity.
Activist-researcher CR Bijoy said that the political agenda to reclaim public services would entail removing the state from the clutches of capital and legitimate democratic takeover of governance of territories, natural human resources and institutions by communities.
Nuria Molina from Spain spoke about the re-enactment of Structural Adjustment Policies in crisis ridden Europe. Policies of austerity, privatization, shrinking of public services that were a disaster in Latin America are now being pushed in Spain, Greece and Portugal resulting in an increase in poverty and unemployment.
Professor David Sanders, one of the founders of the Peoples Health Movement said that an acute global health crisis intersects with a food crisis. Today more than 80 developing countries are food importers with a twin crisis of under-nutrition and over-nutrition – both symptoms of malnutrition. Sanders said that given rising inequality in the world, rather than have a campaign to end poverty, the more urgent need is a campaign to end obscene wealth.
More than 80 participants, from across India and the global south, comprising researchers, activists, trade unionists and policy makers will deliberate on public options in health, water and energy. The two day conference is organized by various groups including the Janaarogya Andolana Karnataka, the Peoples Campaign for Right to Water, the Municipal Services Project and the South-South Knowledge Hub at ActionAid India.
Minister Patil announced that instead of licenses for private colleges, he had proposed six new government medical colleges in different districts of Karnataka. More importantly, he pointed out that the government had recently rejected a proposal to privatize diagnostic facilities in the state.
The minister was also cognizant of the non-availability of doctors in rural areas, despite the large number of medical colleges in the state. ‘We have suggested compulsory rural service for doctors from both government and private colleges and will also aim to ensure that medical education is reclaimed as a public good’ he added.
Uruguayan academic Daniel Chavez spoke about how the new left governments and social movements in Latin America are attempting to re-imagine the public after successfully reversing and resisting privatization. This re-imagination includes pushing the boundaries of the public sector and introducing criteria such as equity, ecology, transparency, sustainability, fair labour and solidarity.
Activist-researcher CR Bijoy said that the political agenda to reclaim public services would entail removing the state from the clutches of capital and legitimate democratic takeover of governance of territories, natural human resources and institutions by communities.
Nuria Molina from Spain spoke about the re-enactment of Structural Adjustment Policies in crisis ridden Europe. Policies of austerity, privatization, shrinking of public services that were a disaster in Latin America are now being pushed in Spain, Greece and Portugal resulting in an increase in poverty and unemployment.
Professor David Sanders, one of the founders of the Peoples Health Movement said that an acute global health crisis intersects with a food crisis. Today more than 80 developing countries are food importers with a twin crisis of under-nutrition and over-nutrition – both symptoms of malnutrition. Sanders said that given rising inequality in the world, rather than have a campaign to end poverty, the more urgent need is a campaign to end obscene wealth.
More than 80 participants, from across India and the global south, comprising researchers, activists, trade unionists and policy makers will deliberate on public options in health, water and energy. The two day conference is organized by various groups including the Janaarogya Andolana Karnataka, the Peoples Campaign for Right to Water, the Municipal Services Project and the South-South Knowledge Hub at ActionAid India.
