Tuesday marked the conclusion of a 17-day protest by private physicians in Rajasthan over the Right to Health Bill as the state government acceded to their main demands, which included exempting unaided private hospitals from the new legislation.
The physicians’ organisations said that during negotiations, the two sides came to an understanding, with the state government agreeing to exclude private hospitals that had not received land at reduced prices or other advantages from it from the proposed legislation.
Moreover, the agreement states that private multi-specialty hospitals with less than 50 beds would be excluded from the first phase of application of the proposed legislation.
The newly enacted Law, among other things, permits patients to get free emergency care from all public and approved private institutions. The private hospital is anticipated to get payment for this from the government.
“There has been a deal with the government. The new legislation exempts private hospitals that have not accepted government subsidies. Our protest has been changed to a “Vijay Rally,” “the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society’s Secretary, Dr. Vijay Kapoor, remarked (PHNHS).
During a general body meeting convened after the negotiations with the administration, we agreed to call off our strike, said Kapoor.
Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister, expressed satisfaction over the outcome and said that Rajasthan would implement the “Right to Health” as the first state in the nation.
“The fact that an agreement has been reached on the Right to Health Bill being put to the physicians by the state administration is cause for celebration. As a result, Rajasthan will implement the “Right to Health” law first in the nation “Gehlot said in a press release.
A group of medical professionals, including representatives from the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association of Rajasthan (UPCHAR), the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and PHNHS, met with the government earlier and agreed to a memorandum on eight issues.
The physicians said that their main demand—that private hospitals be kept outside the RTH Bill’s purview if they had not received any government benefits in the shape of land or structures at reduced prices—had been granted.
The agreement states that this legislation will apply to all private medical schools and hospitals, hospitals using the public-private partnership (PPP) model, hospitals that have obtained free or discounted land allotments, and hospitals administered by trusts that have been given discounted-priced plots.
Also, it was decided to examine regularising hospitals operating on the “quota model” in various parts of the state. Under the quota model, attention will be given to regularising the hospitals’ structures by relaxing the requirements for those hospitals that are operating in residential properties.
The agreement states that the police and other charges filed during the agitation would be dropped. Also, the introduction of a “single window system” for granting licences and other permissions to private hospitals will be taken into consideration.
Also, it was decided that any future adjustments to the Right to Health law’s regulations will be made after consulting with IMA representatives.
All of the state’s residents, according to Chief Minister Gehlot, worked with the state administration to support this Law. The fact that physicians have now endorsed this crucial Measure is encouraging, he remarked.
Gehlot voiced optimism for the success of programmes like Right to Health, Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Plan, and RGHS when both public and private hospitals work together.
He also expressed optimism that private and public hospitals will effectively execute these programmes on the ground and offer the “Rajasthan Model of Public Health” in light of the excellent example they had established by controlling Covid.
Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary for communications of the Congress, commented on the situation in Rajasthan on Twitter.
“The Rajasthani government’s Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Program serves as a national example. The right to health is now recognised by law. Another transformational step has been taken, turning Rajasthan into a national model. This is what the Bharat Jodo Yatra produced “said Ramesh.