Right To Health Bill: Rajasthan Govt Agrees To Private Hospital Demands, Strike To Be Called Off

A major demand of doctors was private hospitals that have not taken any benefits from the government in form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be outside the bounds of the RTH Bill.

Doctors take part in a protest rally against Rajasthan's Right to Health bill, in Jaipur, Thursday, March 30, 2023.

Source : PTI

After a week of agitations and talks, the Rajasthan government and private doctors have arrived at a consensus regarding the Right to Health (RTH) Bill. The state government has agreed to keep private hospitals that have not received any benefits from the government, such as land or buildings at subsidised rates, outside the proposed legislation's ambit.

On Tuesday, a delegation of doctors, including members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association, and the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association (UPCHAR), held talks with the state government and signed a memorandum of eight points. The doctors' primary demand was to exempt private hospitals that have not received any benefits from the government from the RTH Bill.

"The private sector has completely been freed from the RTH Bill. The government will implement it from its resources and institutions. We have converted our rally into a 'Vijay Rally' and will hold a general body meeting to call off the agitation formally," said Dr Vijay Kapoor, secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot confirmed the agreement on his Twitter account, saying that Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement the Right to Health Bill. He expressed his hope that the doctor-patient relationship would remain unchanged in the future.

The doctors had been demanding the withdrawal of the bill, which was passed by the Rajasthan Assembly on March 28. With the agreement now in place, private hospitals that have not received benefits from the government will be excluded from the bill, which will be implemented using the government's resources and institutions.

मुझे प्रसन्नता है कि राइट टू हेल्थ पर सरकार व डॉक्टर्स के बीच अंततः सहमति बनी एवं राजस्थान राइट टू हेल्थ लागू करने वाला देश का पहला राज्य बना है।

मुझे आशा है कि आगे भी डॉक्टर-पेशेंट रिलेशनशिप पूर्ववत यथावत रहेगी।#RightToHealth

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 4, 2023

A massive rally was taken out by the protesting doctors here on Tuesday to oppose the RTH Bill.

According to the bill, every resident of the state will have the right to emergency treatment and care "without prepayment" at any "public health institution, healthcare establishment and designated healthcare centre".