Visakhapatnam, Oct 9 (NationPress) The YSR Congress Party, in opposition, is gearing up to initiate a significant one-crore signature campaign starting Friday, demanding the reversal of the privatisation of medical colleges. On Thursday, the party's President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy spearheaded a large protest in Narsipatnam, located in Anakapalli district.

Speaking to the crowd with an incomplete medical college in view, he emphasized that during the tenure of the YSRCP government, efforts were made to establish 17 medical colleges to enhance access to medical care and education for the populace. In contrast, he accused the coalition government led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of privatising these institutions and marginalizing the poorer communities from obtaining necessary healthcare.

Referring to hospitals as modern temples, Jagan Mohan Reddy warned that private entities would take advantage of the underprivileged, jeopardizing public health as a result of Naidu's measures. He pointed out, "Of the 17 medical colleges, five were completed during our administration, and classes began in Pulivendula and Paderu. Chief Minister Naidu has even issued directives to halt the construction of these colleges with a view towards privatisation," he added.

The former Chief Minister asserted that the total number of medical seats could have reached 4,910, with 2,360 of those being available free of charge to underprivileged students, while the remaining seats would be offered at significantly lower fees compared to private colleges, thus enabling countless families to access affordable medical education and healthcare.

Jagan Mohan Reddy criticized Chief Minister Naidu's willingness to invest Rs 2 lakh crore in Amaravati, yet not allocating Rs 500 crore for each medical college dedicated to public health. He stated, "This reveals his true priorities. Due to inadequate medical facilities, patients are forced to seek care at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam. The recent situation at the Kurupam hostel, where tribal students fell ill from contaminated water, underscores the government's gross negligence," he remarked.

Outlining the protest schedule, Jagan Mohan Reddy mentioned that outreach programs named Rachabanda would occur from October 10 to November 22, focusing on exposing the neglect and failures of Naidu's administration, while gathering one crore signatures.

There will be demonstrations at constituency and district headquarters on October 28 and November 12, respectively. The collected signatures are expected to reach Vijayawada by November 23, after which a representation will be made to the Governor, S. Abdul Nazeer.

He elaborated that signature papers would transit from constituencies to district centers on November 23 and then proceed to Vijayawada in trucks on November 24, prior to their submission to the Governor.

Simultaneously, at the YSRCP Central office in Amaravati, the campaign poster for the one crore signature initiative was unveiled by YSRCP State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.

He noted that the campaign will span over 45 days, commencing with the Rachabanda program across all 175 constituencies on Friday, where posters will be launched concurrently.

As part of the protest strategy, large rallies at the constituency level will take place on October 28, followed by district-level rallies and memorandum submissions on November 12.