Bhopal: Alarmed over Madhya Pradesh government’s move to privatise as many as 18 community health centres (CHCs) in the state public health experts, professionals and workers have joined hands to protest against the same demanding immediate rollback of the decision.
These CHCs, 18 in number, fall in three districts Rewa, Dewas and Guna, according to public health experts Dr Rakesh Malviya and Amulya Nidhi.
Rewa is hometown of MP’s health minister Rajendra Shukla while Guna happens to be the parliamentary constituency of union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
According to Dr Malviya and Nidhi recently various health and people’s organizations associated with the campaign against the proposed privatisation submitted a memorandum to chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav and health minister Rajendra Shukla demanding immediate withdrawal of this decision and the strengthening of the public healthcare system instead.
A few days back, public health experts, worked and professionals gathered in the state capital Bhopal to share with media their concern over the proposed privatisation and tell them how it was going to prove disastrous for people of the state.
They said, “Instead of addressing the existing shortcomings in healthcare services, privatizing government health institutions amounts to the state stepping back from its constitutional and social responsibilities. Healthcare is the responsibility of the state and cannot be left to institutions operating with the objective of private profit.”
The memorandum they submitted stated the government’s latest move to private the community health centres was alarming as the government pushed the same despite its previous attempts to privatize public health institutions in Madhya Pradesh having failed miserably.
“In 2015, the model of private management of the Alirajpur district hospital and Jobat community health centre was unsuccessful, forcing the government to withdraw it. Similarly, in 2020–21, the proposal by NITI Aayog to privatize district hospitals did not move forward following nationwide opposition”, read the memorandum.
Further, it stated, “In 2024–25 as well, attempts to privatize district hospitals in Madhya Pradesh met with widespread resistance from doctors, healthcare workers, and people’s organizations.”
The joint action committee against the privatisation said, “The state’s real problem is not the absence of privatization but inadequate investment in public healthcare, an insufficient number of health institutions, and thousands of vacant posts of doctors and healthcare personnel.”
According to Rural Health Statistics 2021–22, the state has a shortage of 4134 sub-health centres, 1045 primary health centres, and 245 community health centres.
According to the Annual Report 2025–26 of the Madhya Pradesh Public Health and Medical Education Department, the state’s public health system comprises 55 district hospitals, 51 trauma centres, 158 civil hospitals, 348 community health centres, 1442 primary health centres, 10256 sub- health centres and only five polyclinics. As per report, as many as 3698 of 5543 medical specialist posts, 2689 of 6513 medical officer posts and 481 of 728 dental medical officer posts are lying vacant. These persistent infrastructure and human resource gaps continue to undermine the delivery of accessible and quality public healthcare across Madhya Pradesh.
Underlining the poor health scenario of the state the memorandum states, “Madhya Pradesh’s infant mortality rate remains significantly higher than the national average. A weak public healthcare infrastructure, shortage of specialist doctors and lack of quality healthcare services in rural areas are among the major causes of maternal and infant deaths.”
The organizations that signed the memorandum include Chikitsa Shiksha Mahasangh, Madhya Pradesh Medical Teachers Association (MPMTA), Government Autonomous Chikitsa Shiksha Mahasangh, Madhya Pradesh Medical Officers Association (MPMOA), ESI, Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association, Madhya Pradesh Nursing Officers Association, Madhya Pradesh Contract Doctors Association, Madhya Pradesh ASHA /USHA Sahayogini Shramik Sangh, and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan MP and JSA India.
