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.
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".