Why are strong public services essential for social, economic and health security for all?

V Narasimhan, General Secretary, All India National Life Insurance Employees Federation India, cautioned that "The standard policy advice of the World Bank remains on cutting government subsidies, increasing revenues and shrinking the public sector through privatization. While giving loans to India and other south Asian countries, the World Bank made the loans conditional upon implementation of its economic policy. Privatizing public assets has reduced the poor's access to healthcare, water, power, and other services and it is also creating a private corporate monopoly in various sectors which is not in the interest of the people. The World Bank is following the methodology of private sector engagement even in the COVID-19 pandemic situation."

Pavanelli remarked that in 2016 the UN General Assembly, the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization had adopted a very progressive plan to increase employment in the public sector to boost economic growth, including hiring 18 million healthcare workers/ professionals by 2030. But what we get is freezing of wages, non-replacement of workers in public health sector, outsourcing and privatisation. It is time to put aside the economic model that we have been following for decades and put in place a new and different system that addresses the fundamental root of injustice and inequality, she said.

Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)

(Shobha Shukla is the founding Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service) and Coordinator of APCAT Media (Asia Pacific regional media network to end TB & tobacco and prevent NCDs). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or visit www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla)

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