Adivasi Protests Intensify as Activists Urge Gujarat Governor to Halt Vyara Hospital Privatisation

Gandhinagar/Tapi: Health rights activists and social organisations from across India have appealed to the Governor of Gujarat to invoke his constitutional powers under the Fifth Schedule to stop the proposed privatisation of the Vyara Government Hospital and Medical College in Tapi district. The appeal comes amid ongoing, large-scale protests by Adivasi communities in South Gujarat who have been opposing the move for over two months.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the National Health Rights Alliance, a nationwide initiative of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), highlighted that the Vyara hospital serves as a crucial referral center not only for Tapi but also for neighboring tribal-dominated districts like Dang and Navsari. The activists argue that privatisation will endanger healthcare access for vulnerable Adivasi populations already grappling with high levels of malnutrition and poor health indicators.

The protestors recalled that a similar privatisation attempt a few years ago was rolled back after public opposition. However, the Gujarat government has now revived the proposal, despite past assurances. Since the announcement, hundreds of Adivasis have been participating daily in a peaceful dharna outside the hospital, demanding the plan be scrapped.

The activists warned that privatisation in remote, tribal regions has failed in states like Rajasthan, where public healthcare had to be restored after private models proved ineffective. They insist that the accountability and accessibility of healthcare can only be ensured through state-run institutions.

The memorandum further linked the privatisation move to a broader trend of disempowering Adivasi communities through aggressive development projects — such as DMIC, Bharatmala, the Statue of Unity corridor, and National Highway 56 — which they claim lead to massive ecological damage and displacement without proper consultation or compensation.

Criticism was also leveled at the Gujarat government for inadequate implementation of key tribal welfare laws like the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). These failures, coupled with increasing environmental stress and mental health challenges, have made the case for strengthening public healthcare more urgent, the activists argued.

“The Vyara hospital and the attached medical college must remain under government control. Privatisation will only further marginalise Adivasi communities who are already battling dispossession, displacement, and ecological destruction,” the alliance stated in the memorandum.

Signatories include renowned public health professionals and activists such as Dr. Mira Shiva, Dr. Ritu Priya, Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, Meera Sanghamitra, and members of PUCL, NREGA Mazdoor Union, and NAPM chapters from various states.

The activists called on the Governor to use his discretionary powers under the Fifth Schedule to direct the Gujarat government to immediately drop the privatisation plan and conduct a comprehensive review of all development projects affecting Adivasi regions.