Jaipur: Protesting against the Right to Health (RTH) Bill, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society (PHNHS) has called for complete bandh of health services in in the state from 8am on Thursday to 8am on Friday.
However, the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) state branch has announced that it will not take part in the complete bandh. PHNHS has called for bandh as select committee (a committee of MLAs constituted by state assembly) has started holding its meeting on RTH bill before tabling it in the House.
The private hospitals’ associations are divided on the protest against RTH bill. The Joint Action Committee against RTH, comprising of 32 members, a body constituted for take forward the protest, has now been broken due to two different opinions of RTH bill protest.
PHNHS secretary Dr Vijay Kapoor said, “We are not concerned what is their stand on RTH, but we will observe complete bandh against RTH bill across the state including Jaipur. All the facilities, including diagnostic centres, clinics and hospitals, will remain close against RTH bill.”
Dr Kapoor said that they do not want RTH bill to be tabled in the state assembly in any form. Besides, IMA state branch has clarified that they are not going to be the part of the complete bandh called by PHNHS. “The IMA is not participating in bandh,” said Dr Sunil Chugh, president, IMA (state branch), who is also the chairperson of joint action committee (JAC) against RTH bill, an umbrella body of private hospitals formed to protest against RTH.
Dr Chugh said, “JAC has organised talks with state’s chief secretary committee and they have assured us that our demands will be fulfilled and the provision which we had found objectionable has been removed. On the basis of that we postponed our protest. Now, if the state government will not follow what they had promised, we will re-launch our protest, but as of now, we are not protesting.”
“If what’s being circulated reportedly by doctors’ association is true, it’s really tragic to see how the government has succumbed to the pressure of the private health sector so easily. This would dilute the bill to a great extent and the Act which comes about would make little difference. It is also disappointing that the select committee didn’t bother to invite suggestions or hold consultations on the bill with any other group except the doctors,” said Chhaya Pachauli, state coordinator, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan , an umbrella body of health rights & social activists.
However, the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) state branch has announced that it will not take part in the complete bandh. PHNHS has called for bandh as select committee (a committee of MLAs constituted by state assembly) has started holding its meeting on RTH bill before tabling it in the House.
The private hospitals’ associations are divided on the protest against RTH bill. The Joint Action Committee against RTH, comprising of 32 members, a body constituted for take forward the protest, has now been broken due to two different opinions of RTH bill protest.
PHNHS secretary Dr Vijay Kapoor said, “We are not concerned what is their stand on RTH, but we will observe complete bandh against RTH bill across the state including Jaipur. All the facilities, including diagnostic centres, clinics and hospitals, will remain close against RTH bill.”
Dr Kapoor said that they do not want RTH bill to be tabled in the state assembly in any form. Besides, IMA state branch has clarified that they are not going to be the part of the complete bandh called by PHNHS. “The IMA is not participating in bandh,” said Dr Sunil Chugh, president, IMA (state branch), who is also the chairperson of joint action committee (JAC) against RTH bill, an umbrella body of private hospitals formed to protest against RTH.
Dr Chugh said, “JAC has organised talks with state’s chief secretary committee and they have assured us that our demands will be fulfilled and the provision which we had found objectionable has been removed. On the basis of that we postponed our protest. Now, if the state government will not follow what they had promised, we will re-launch our protest, but as of now, we are not protesting.”
“If what’s being circulated reportedly by doctors’ association is true, it’s really tragic to see how the government has succumbed to the pressure of the private health sector so easily. This would dilute the bill to a great extent and the Act which comes about would make little difference. It is also disappointing that the select committee didn’t bother to invite suggestions or hold consultations on the bill with any other group except the doctors,” said Chhaya Pachauli, state coordinator, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan , an umbrella body of health rights & social activists.
