Tirupati: Condemning the government's decision to convert the Government Maternity Hospital building into an administrative headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT), activists of different political parties have staged protests in front of the hospital.
The protest began after the state government announced to take over the 350-bedded Maternity Hospital which would come in a huge loss for the pregnant women in the city.
The hospital caters to the financially poor section of society, those unable to get treatments at any private hospital and is the only facility in the district to provide treatments to pregnant women.
This move of the government has been heavily criticized by the activist of political parties including TDP, CPI, Congress and Jana Sena. They described the action to be against the interests of the pregnant women.
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Raising questions about the government's decision, CPI national secretary K. Narayana said "Did the government not find any building other than this 350-bed hospital?" Converting the building into an MCT could pose a threat to the patient's healthcare in the district.
However, the fact that women in power were unaware that actions were being taken against another section of women was ironic said Mr Narayana. Despite having women in the health department, no actions were taken against the move of the state government.
He told The Hindu, "The Minister for Medical and Health, the city Mayor and Commissioner are all women, but still injustice is happening right in front of their eyes."
The TDP said "The move would directly affect the prospects of hundreds of pregnant and postnatal women. Telugu Yuvatha state General Secretary A. Ravi Naidu questioned the authority of the municipal administration in trying to evict the patients and clear the premises."
Terming the move to convert the life-saving facility into a mere administrative building as 'unwise', Congress leader P. Naveen Kumar Reddy said "The hospital had been equipped with 186 oxygen-supported beds with ₹100 crores, four operation theatres and an emergency care unit with advanced lab. "With its magnificent infrastructure, valuable equipment and qualified staff, the hospital is hailed as a 'Sanjeevani' and should be thus retained."
Jana Sena Tirupati city in charge Raja Reddy said that the government are converting the existing important buildings into something else without constructing a new one. And for how long would the move last, he added stating that the decision once again reflected the government's 'anti-people mindset'.
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