Government and private doctors along with medical and paramedical professionals took out a massive rally today in Rajasthan’s Jaipur to protest against the recently passed Right to Health Act in the state assembly. The rally was conducted to press demand for the Act’s withdrawal. Private doctors have threatened that their hospitals will not be part of any healthcare scheme by the state in future.
The rally was attended by medical professionals, their family members as well as medical store owners from across the state which started from the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital and passed through several parts of the city.
Also read: Raj public health experts hail RTH bill, call protest ‘unjustified’
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had earlier called for a nationwide black day against the contentious law. Doctors across the state, including IMA’s Rajasthan chapter, have been protesting against the Act, that gives rights to every resident to avail free of cost treatment along with ‘emergency treatment’ without prepayment at any health institution in the state.
The Act allows patients to avail free treatment at public health institution which further bars any hospital to refuse treatment. It also has provision to avail ‘emergency treatment’ at public health institution, health care establishment and designated health care centres without a prepayment.
Healthcare professionals have been objecting certain clauses where the term ‘medical emergency’ has not been defined clearly and asked how the expenses will be reimbursed to private hospitals. They have also raised concerns over setting up of a grievance redressal committee to address patients’ complaints.
“Right to health is definitely a right of the poor and the citizen of the country. The state government has the responsibility to fulfill that. Since they are unable to fulfill their responsibility, they are putting it on the doctors, without clarifying who will pay the expenses,” IMA national president Dr Sharad Agarwal said while talking to reporters.
As a result of the ongoing protest, medical services in government hospitals across the state have been impacted. Doctors have boycotted work for two hours today in solidarity with the private doctors.
(With PTI inputs)
