From Our Correspondent
TURA, May 26: Various pressure groups from Garo Hills on Monday opposed the state government’s move to operate the upcoming Tura Medical College and Hospital (TMCH) on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
In a joint statement, the groups – Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People, Association for Democracy and Empowerment, A’chik Youth Welfare Organisation, Garo Students’ Union and Federation for A’chik Freedom – categorically stated that the health facility, which is being built through public funds with the intention to cater to people’s welfare, must meet this objective.
“The Tura Medical College is a vital public institution, established with public funds and intended solely to serve people’s welfare. Its main goal is to make medical education and healthcare services available and reasonably priced to Meghalaya communities. Giving it to private organisations to run it on a PPP framework runs the risk of undermining this goal, thus the institution’s dedication to a public service may be dominated by commercial objectives,” the statement said.
The groups based their objections on the Expression of Interest (EoI) that is to be signed between the government and the private entity.
“The provision allows for 33 years lease, automatically extendable for another 33 years. This hands over a government-built medical institution for 66 years which is equivalent to a virtual transfer of ownership under a long-term lease. This long-term alienation of public property reduces public oversight and locks the government into a legally binding concession, even if the private party running underperforms” they stated.
Further, the public sector enterprise (PSE) is allowed to operate the hospital and medical college as per its commercial wisdom, allowing profit-centric decisions on staffing, services and hospital operations at the cost of patient welfare and academic quality.
“Lease renewal is automatic unless DHS raises concerns, which the PSE can cure. This leaves limited room for public accountability, even in case of poor performance or violations. The EoI grants non-fiscal support but lacks clarity on its scope, which may lead to unaccounted government favours without transparency or reciprocal public benefits” they added.
“As per the Ordinance, only up to 50% of seats can be claimed under the management category, undermining the public and tribal quota, and introducing opaque admission practices. To guarantee openness, accountability, and fair access for all, we strongly believe that public assets, especially ones as important as a medical college, must continue to be owned and managed by the government,” the organisations said.
They lamented that the decision to involve private stakeholders without broad consensus raises serious concerns about the erosion of public trust and the undermining of people’s aspirations.
“We acknowledge the government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure; we would like to urge a reconsideration of this approach. We call for an immediate halt to the PPP bidding process and demand inclusive consultations with all stakeholders like students, civil society, healthcare professionals, and the public to explore sustainable alternatives that align with the original intent of the project. Our stance is not one of obstruction but of safeguarding the long-term interests of the people,” asserted the groups.
Stating that they sought constructive dialogue to ensure that TMC fulfils its mission, they warned that if their concerns go unaddressed, they reserve the right to undertake democratic protests to uphold people’s will.
“We are hopeful that the government will prioritise public welfare over privatisation and work collaboratively to secure a brighter future for medical education and healthcare in Meghalaya,” they added.