Foreign investment in private hospitals will make treatment unaffordable: RJD
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has expressed opposition to increased foreign investment in Kerala's private healthcare sector, citing concerns over rising treatment costs. The party also raised issues regarding social welfare pension distribution and flood management coordination.
Why it matters
It reflects ongoing political debates in India regarding the privatization of essential services like healthcare and the role of foreign capital.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has opposed large-scale foreign investment in Kerala’s private healthcare sector, stating that the takeover of major private hospitals by multinational companies with no connection to healthcare could push up treatment costs beyond the reach of ordinary people.
The party’s State leadership meeting, held in Kozhikode on Saturday (August 8), said investments worth ₹20,000 crore had been made in the sector over the past year.
In a statement, RJD State secretary-general Varughese George said the existing system of distributing social welfare pensions through cooperative societies should be continued. The meeting said the government order making commercial bank accounts mandatory for receiving pensions was impractical.
The RJD also protested the exclusion of 65 lakh workers from the VB-G RAM G scheme.
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