Aam​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Aadmi Party’s Pune unit shows a passionate protest outside the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) office over the deteriorating condition of the healthcare centers run by the civic body. The rally, which was the result of the joint efforts of the senior members of AAP and the local volunteers, intended to convey the message to the authorities how PMC has “consistently failed” to provide them with the basic health services. The main slogan of the protest was the demand of the AAP party for accountability and quality change at the earliest.

As per Aam Aadmi Party leaders, doctor shortage, lack of medicines, dirty wards, and old equipment are some of the problems that municipal hospitals and clinics face. They added that those citizens belong to the low-income groups who entirely depend on PMC-run hospitals and therefore, are the ones that suffer the most. AAP brought up the situations in which patients had to wait for long hours to carry out basic tests or had to visit private hospitals because municipal facilities were out of schedule to provide them with care.

At the time of the AAP protest PMC, party leaders charged the civic administration of disregarding the complaints of the residents, NGOs, and health workers that have been made numerous times. They also said that although promises of improvement had been made many times, the reality of the situation is still the same. The protestors also held up placards demanding the 24×7 emergency services, increased medical staff, transparent fund allocation, and regular audits of health centers run by PMC.

The AAP members argued that Pune is facing an alarming situation of a gap between the growth of the population and the city’s public healthcare system, despite it being one of the fastest-growing cities. They cited issues of broken machines in municipal hospitals, delayed repair work, and lack of beds during the peak season of illnesses. Some protestors also mentioned that a couple of primary health centers are without proper sanitation, which raises the problem of the spread of infections.

Speaking to the people, the AAP leaders said the AAP protest PMC campaign will not be stopped until the municipal corporation takes action. They mentioned it was not political theatre but a public movement led by a genuine need for better healthcare facilities. They also requested PMC officials to conduct surprise inspections in all municipal hospitals and release an action plan with clear deadlines.

AAP has demanded that PMC should establish a public-facing redressal system dedicated to healthcare so that complaints can be tracked and solved quickly. They also demanded the enhancement of the budget allocation for municipal hospitals and facilitating better coordination underneath the departments. 

After the protest, AAP leaders handed over a written memorandum to the PMC authorities. They promised that if no significant changes are seen in the near future, the party will definitely escalate its campaign with more extensive public participation.

The AAP protest PMC movement has led to a heated debate on civic healthcare quality and local governance in the city. At present, the citizens of the city look forward to the pressure of the protest to be able to make PMC act with great speed and improve the city’s healthcare system.