HimVani
Shimla: Hundreds of activists of CPIM on the call given by the party’s Shimla district committee held a demonstration outside the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital today. The protest action was organized against rampant sellout of health services and exorbitant hike in user charges at the IGMC.
The demonstration turned into a public meeting that was addressed by Tikender Panwar, member, state secretariat of the CPIM, Sanjay Chauhan, Shimla district secretary of the party, Jagat Ram and Falma Chauhan, both members of the district committee, Shimla. While speaking on the alleged pathetic condition of health services, Sanjay Chauhan lambasted at the Rogi Kalyan Samitis and said that these very committees have now become a modem for collecting money and fleecing poor patients of the state. “The whole ideology of generating resources in terms of money from the health sector is utterly atrocious”, Tikender commented.
Jagat Ram said the working people are the worst affected as they are unable to bear with the present excessive charges levied on the people. Falma while criticizing the BJP government for its veneer of having a pro-women image stated that it has actually hit the women with the severest blow as charges for normal delivery of child have been raised from Rs 75.00 to Rs 1,000–Rs 2,000 in addition to several other charges the patients are to make for their stay in the hospital.
