The representatives of agitating doctors and Principal Secretary (Medical Education) T. Ravikanth arrived at a consensus
After two weeks of protest against the Right to Health Bill, private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday called off their agitation following an agreement reached with the State government on the applicability of the legislation. The Private Hospitals & Nursing Homes Association announced that all hospitals across the State will start functioning from Wednesday morning.
The representatives of agitating doctors and Principal Secretary (Medical Education) T. Ravikanth arrived at a consensus that the private hospitals which have not availed of concessions or taken land and building at subsidised rates from the State government will be kept out of the purview of the Act. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding comprising eight points after negotiations.
The Right to Health Bill, passed in the State Assembly on March 21, gives every resident of Rajasthan the right to emergency treatment care without prepayment of requisite fee or charges to any health institution. Though Rajasthan became the first State to legislate the right to health, private hospitals were apprehensive of the government’s interference in their functioning after the enforcement of the law.
While the talks with the government officers were continuing, the agitating medicos, accompanied by their family members and para-medical staff, took out a massive rally for the second time on the roads of Jaipur on Tuesday morning. A similar rally was earlier organised on March 27 in a show of strength.
Private Hospitals & Nursing Homes Society’s secretary Vijay Kapoor said the agreement had been reached “without any pressure” and the main demands of the doctors had been accepted, while the government would enforce the right with its own resources. The delegation which went for talks included the representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the United Private Clinics and Hospitals of Rajasthan (UPCHAR).
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rajasthan had become the first State with the right to health after the end of the doctors’ strike. “I hope that the doctor-patient relationship will remain cordial in future as well. The doctor fraternity has shown a spirit of service and generosity, which will write a new chapter in social security,” Mr. Gehlot said.