In a bid to address rising maternal and infant mortality rates in Belagavi district, members of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) (SUCI(C)) and the All-India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sanghatan (AIKKMS) organized a large protest march on Monday.
The demonstrators, led by SUCI(C) and AIKKMS office-bearers, marched from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Park to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, urging immediate reforms to the healthcare system. The protesters submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, demanding free and quality medical care in all government healthcare facilities and the cessation of privatization in the sector.
Ramanjanappa Aldalli, a member of SUCI(C)’s state committee, criticized the deterioration of the state’s healthcare system, highlighting the poor quality of medicines and medical negligence that has led to deaths in hospitals across Belagavi, Ballari, Chigateri, and Siddapur. He claimed that a shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals, with only 30% of the required stock available, had worsened the situation. Aldalli also accused both the state and central governments of reducing funding for the healthcare sector, thereby weakening the public health system in favor of privatization.
AIKKMS state vice-president Laxman Jadagannavar added that government hospitals in the Belagavi district were grappling with a lack of adequate medicines and personnel. He also pointed out that free medical tests for Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders were now being charged, a practice he condemned. Jadagannavar emphasized that this protest was part of a statewide agitation aimed at improving the healthcare system and urged the district administration to address these issues immediately.
In response, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan assured the protesters that the concerns raised would be addressed through a meeting involving health officials and the organization’s representatives.
