Doctors' Association for Social Equality

Press –Release

Tamilnadu government has decided to start paying wards in Chennai General hospital from 5.1.08 . Due to the compulsion of world bank the government first opened a paying ward in Stanley medical college hospital few years back in gastroenterology department. Now step by step the paying ward system is being expanded to other government hospitals too. It would affect the poor people and would make them as 2nd grade citizen. It would lead to partiality and discrimination between haves and have-nots. The right to medical care and opportunities of the poor would be jeopardized. Even to day a large number of poor patients are lying on the floor of the wards with out beds in government hospitals .It is regrettable that instead of providing beds to the poor the paying ward is being started. Commercialization of government hospitals according to the HEALTH POLICY 2002 should be stopped immediately. Central and state governments should allocate at least 5% of GDP to health and should ensure standard free medical care to the people and health for all.

Yours Truly,
(Dr.G.R.Ravindranath)
General Secretary,DASE