Vizag Port drops hospital PPP plan, issues O&M tender

The Visakhapatnam Port Authority has withdrawn its earlier proposal to hand over the Golden Jubilee Hospital at Akkayyapalem under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, but has now floated a notification inviting agencies for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the facility.

Employee unions have sought clarity on the terms under which O&M would be outsourced for a hospital catering to nearly 40,000 beneficiaries, including port employees and pensioners.

Established in 1984, the Golden Jubilee Hospital provides medical services to Visakhapatnam Port employees, CISF personnel, pool khalasis, officers, and retired staff. The hospital, which originally had a 150-bed capacity, was later scaled down to 80 beds. Union leaders said the decline in surgeries and services over the years was linked to staff reductions and the non-filling of vacancies after retirements.

Labour unions said attempts to outsource the facility had been made repeatedly in the past. A notification issued in July last year proposed handing over the hospital under PPP, increasing bed strength to 100, and allowing the private agency to charge the public while extending free services to employees and pensioners. The proposal was opposed by unions, which held relay hunger strikes. Following months of protests, the port management reportedly informed the Centre that the hospital would not be handed over under PPP and that outsourcing would be limited to O&M.

CITU leader Padmanabha Raju said the Port Authority should disclose the O&M terms and safeguards. He warned that unions would intensify protests if any decision adversely affected employees.

The issue was also raised with Central Secretary Vijay Kumar during the Lighthouse Festival celebrations recently. He is learnt to have learned that the Port Authority would retain control over the hospital even if O&M was outsourced.