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Udupi : Nagarikara Okkoota Udupi along with other associations held protest rally against the privatization of Udupi District Maternity and Children Hospital situated on the middle of the Udupi city on Friday, 6^th January, 2017.

The protest rally was inaugurated by Meenakshi Bhandary at Jodukatte, near Big Bazar to Chittaranjan Circle.

The protest meeting held at Chittaranjan Circle after culminating the rally, Paniraj Social activist gave keynote address. The donor of Udupi gave the land for the purpose to build Maternity and Children Hospital by late Haji Abdulla  son of late Budan Basha in the year 1929. Since 1947 during the Independence of India the Haji Abdulla memorial hospital with the management of Madras Government. running smoothly till now. At present around 3000 patients visit the hospital every month and get free treatment.

He said that in the year 1929, it was clearly mentioned by the Haji Abdulla that the hospital with any reason not to sale or give management to others. But the present government looking for the privatization of the present smooth running hospital to private entrepreneur which is disaster to the people of Udupi. The mortality rate is very less in this hospital compare to other hospitals.

Dr. P. V. Bhandary Psychiatrist one of the convener of the protest said that the government has snatched the government hospital from the poor. This is totally not acceptable that the hospital running very smoothly and poor people get advantage from the hospital. No official document available in regard to the privatization of the hospital and there was no memorandum of understanding done. Haji Abdulla never told that this hospital belongs to only one community. We demand that the agreement be made to public and fee structure like Wenlock Hospital be fixed. We do not have objections to the fact that the hospital has been given to Dr. B. R. Shetty Ventures. But the hospital be administered by the district surgeon and not by discrict commissioner.

He said that Udupi CMC gave Vishweshwarayya Commercial complex to private entrepreneur with the agreement of 200 pages. But the government gave the 600 bed hospital to private party and agreement was only 25 pages. What is the need to handover to private party from poor people. How one can make business without keeping profit by the private, he said.

Murli Upadyaya written book “Haji Abdulla” released by one of the relative of Haji Abdulla during the protest meeting.

Yashin Malpe, Balakrishna Shetty, Akbar Ali, Nithyanand Olakkad, Sundar Master, Sundar Kappettu, members of SDPI, SIO and other organizations were present during the protest rally.