Deploring the decision of the port management to ‘privatise’ the GJH,
CITU All India Federation secretary B. Jagan and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS)
leader Mangayya Naidu said the hospital, which was constructed four decades ago
to mark the golden jubilee of the Visakhapatnam Port, has been catering to the
health needs of thousands of workers.
Saying that the port management
has reserve funds of crores of rupees and several acres of land at its
disposal, they opined that under these circumstances there was no need to
invite private participation for the development of the hospital.
They demanded the withdrawal of the plan to upgrade the hospital under
PPP mode. They warned that the agitation
would be intensified by roping in the support of people’s organisations and
political parties if the port-management went ahead with its decision to
allow private participation.
CITU leaders K. Satyanarayana, J. Satyanarayana, B. Lakshmana Rao,
Sambamurthy, Ramalingeswara Rao, AITUC leaders Sankaran and Ramana Babu,
Anji(HMS), Chandu(INTUC) and Ravi (BMS) were among those who participated in
the protest.