More than 15,000 government doctors and medical college staff announced a day-long leave on Wednesday to protest the Right to Health Bill, introduced by the Congress-led Rajasthan government.
Medical services in the state have already been affected for the past few days, as private hospital staff and doctors are demonstrating against the proposed legislation.
Most of the private hospitals and doctors have been protesting since Saturday, boycotting health services. The situation compelled patients to turn to government-run hospitals for medical attention.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country’s largest medical group, has already extended its support to the doctors.
Meanwhile, the state health department, medical teachers and paramedical staff have issued an order, asking for disciplinary action against the doctors who boycott work on Wednesday.
What Does the Right to Health Bill Propose?
The Rajasthan Assembly passed the Right To Health Bill on March 21, despite the growing opposition from the doctors' community already at that time.
According to the Bill, private hospitals, clinics, and doctors cannot turn away a person who may be seeking emergency treatment if the patient is unable to make an advance deposit or pre-payment.
Emergency treatment includes accidents, animal or snake bites, complications in pregnancy or an emergency defined by the state health authority.
The law further states that if a patient cannot pay for their treatment, the state government will reimburse the hospital for stabilizing and transferring the patient to another facility.
The patient also gets the right to choose the pharmacy from which he can buy medicine (currently, most hospitals in India insist on patients buying and getting tests done by in-house pharmacies or laboratories).
Why is the Bill Problematic?
The doctors' association wants the word “emergency” in the Bill to be pre-defined.
Sputnik spoke with one of the protesting doctors, Dr. Amit Yadav, former president of the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors, who warned that the Bill would only increase bureaucratic and political interference in their work.
“If a clinic is closed, can a patient force a doctor to treat him? Is that an emergency? The Bill doesn't answer it,” Yadav said. “Moreover, it does not define a clear reimbursement mechanism. The Bill says that the state government will reimburse. But are they setting up a new window for it? How are they planning to do it? Will they assign a separate fund for reimbursement?"
Rajasthan Hospitals Overcrowded Amid Delayed Services
Since the doctors went on strike, patients have been flooding local medical facilities, where the operations are delayed by several days.
Medical services have been affected at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) hospital in Jaipur city, the largest state-run hospital in Rajasthan.
On Monday, a huge protest was staged by doctors in the state: the Indian Medical Association (IMA) observed ‘Black Day’ to show opposition to the Bill.
Rajasthan State chief Ashok Gehlot has appealed to the doctors to withdraw their strike, saying the protest is not in the public interest.
State Health Minister Parsadi Lal has called the doctors' demand of "a withdrawal of the bill" unreasonable and has stated that the Bill would not be withdrawn as it is passed after consultation with doctors and experts.