Skip to main content

'Private lobbies at work': Rajasthan health rights Act politically motivated, says JSA

Counterview Desk 

Top health rights network Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), even as welcoming the enactment of Rajasthan Right to Health Act, 2022 as a “ in ensuring people’s access to healthcare”, has objected to entities like the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for “engaging in agitations aimed at pulling down the Act itself, perhaps without realising the fact that such a stand goes against the ethos of the medical profession, and the duties of healthcare providers to fulfil people’s right to health care.”
Appealing to agitating medical professionals and their associations such as IMA “to recognise the importance of this Act, and to positively engage with streamlining of the Act and Rules”, JSA said in a statement, the misinformation is being spread by certain lobbies which are claiming that the Act is anti-private sector, calling the demand to withdraw the Act as “politically motivated.

Text:

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan welcomes the Rajasthan Right to Health Act passed in the State Legislative Assembly on 21st March 2023, and congratulates the State government of Rajasthan for achieving an important milestone in the history of Health policy in India. Rajasthan has initiated the process of making basic health services a justiciable right, based on providing legal guarantee of public health services and emergency healthcare in the state, setting a historical example for the rest of the country.
JSA criticises the misinformation being spread by certain lobbies which are claiming that the act is anti-private sector, linked with their politically motivated demand that the Act should be withdrawn. At the same time, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan is also concerned that despite several strengths, some provisions in this Act need clarifications or modifications to ensure optimally effective implementation of this Act. This would ensure realization of health rights for people of the state, while also being fair to healthcare providers. We recommend that the following issues should be addressed by the State government:
  1. Greater clarity and specificity are required regarding the definition of “emergency care”, keeping in view the complexities of emergency management, and the limited set of first aid measures which can be offered by most healthcare providers.
  2. Larger private hospitals (those having over 50 beds) should have broader provisions for providing emergency services, while smaller health care providers and clinics should have restricted obligations in this regard, in keeping with their limited capacities.
  3. Ensuring that reimbursement to private providers for providing emergency healthcare would be transparent, hassle-free, corruption free and time-bound.
  4. Majorly increasing the State health budget, to provide the substantial additional resources which must accompany expansion and strengthening of public health services in the state, required for fulfilling all the provisions under this Act.
  5. Strengthening mechanisms to ensure accountability of regulatory authorities to people as well as involved healthcare providers
The Rajasthan Government has agreed to address many of these issues on the floor of the State Legislative Assembly, or in their other public communications. These concerns should be addressed by the Government during further deliberations involving associations of private healthcare professionals as well as civil society networks and NGOs. However we are concerned that entities like the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have been engaging in agitations aimed at pulling down the Act itself, perhaps without realising the fact that such a stand goes against the ethos of the medical profession, and the duties of healthcare providers to fulfil people’s right to health care. We urge the IMA and involved medical professionals to reconsider their position, and to positively engage with, support the further rolling out of the Act and its Rules.
JSA appeals to private medical professionals to recognise importance of the Act, and positively engage to streamline it
JSA realises that the Government has been consultative in the process of developing this legislation and has already accommodated many suggestions from associations of private doctors. After the State Government first introduced the draft bill in the Legislative Assembly in September 2022, it was sent to a Select Committee of the Assembly, keeping in view concerns of private doctors’ associations. Then there were several rounds of discussions with various groups, leading to a series of amendments to the earlier draft of the bill. Given this background of consultations, JSA strongly criticises the misleading campaigning by certain lobbies which claim that doctors’ concerns have not been considered. JSA hopes that such pressure will not lead to any weakening of the provisions for Right to Healthcare.
JSA strongly welcomes the current Act as a major step forward for ensuring the right to health services for people in the state. However, we urge the State government to address the following issues in further processes, to ensure the full effectiveness of this initiative:
  • The current Act mainly ensures Right to healthcare; to move towards comprehensive Right to Health, further concrete steps are needed by the state to ensure entitlements to determinants of health (such as food security and nutrition, water supply and sanitation, healthy environmental conditions etc.);
  • The State and District level health authorities are presently limited to government officials and doctors affiliated with IMA, however public health experts, PRI members, and civil society representatives also need to be represented;
  • Provisions for helpline and web-based grievance redressal systems for patients which were made in earlier versions of the Act need to be restored;
  • The Act must ensure health rights for all persons present in the state, not only permanent residents but also migrants, nomadic persons, visitors from others states etc.
JSA reiterates that the Right to healthcare can be achieved only through a strong public health system, and we hope that Rajasthan government will take all necessary steps to ensure public health system strengthening.
In conclusion, JSA calls for speedy implementation of various further steps required for rolling out this important legislation, including early formulation of clear and implementable rules for the Act, while addressing all the mentioned concerns. This would ensure clarity on various critical issues, while addressing genuine concerns of private healthcare providers and adding strength to the Act so that it can be implemented most effectively for ensuring people’s health rights. JSA urges the state government of Rajasthan to take immediate measures to:
  1. Consider necessary amendments to the Act as required, in order to address the gaps and concerns as mentioned above, towards strengthening health rights for all in Rajasthan;
  2. Urgently prepare and introduce necessary Rules for the Act, in order to concretise various provisions and to roll out the implementation of the Act;
  3. Set up strong oversight and accountability bodies so that the services to ordinary people are guaranteed to be provided with dignity, while reimbursements to the private sector providers are ensured in a transparent corruption free environment, within stipulated time frame;
  4. Adopt a well-defined plan for substantially enhancing the State health budget in line with the obligations and enhanced requirements being generated through this Act, in order to ensure overall expansion and strengthening of government provided health services in the state;
  5. Make necessary clarifications to address the misinformation campaign against this law, building the trust of all constituencies and upholding Rajasthan as a model state in achieving health rights for all, which could become an example for other states of India.
Jan Swasthya Abhiyan’s National Coordination Committee and JSA Rajasthan state unit offer their full support and solidarity to the Government of Rajasthan towards realising health rights for all people of the state.

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

As double engine takes backseat in Odisha, BJP is pitted against 'firmly rooted' BJD

By Sudhansu R Das  BJP has got 25 years to build its party base in Odisha. After 25 years, it felt helpless and insecure to fight elections on its own strength. The party was almost crazy to have an alliance with the ruling BJD in Odisha.  Looking for alliance at the time of election shows that the party has not groomed its grassroots level workers into potential leaders.  The state BJP leaders woke up and convinced the Central leaders that they are capable of going solo; the alliance was stillborn. The question is can BJP defeat BJD which is firmly rooted in Odisha after launching piles of populist programs in the state.