Rajasthan doctors call off protest against Right to Health Bill after agreement with Govt

The Bill was passed despite protests by the opposition BJP, which wanted to bring in certain changes to the provisions, as well as an agitation by a section of doctors, who had been demanding withdrawal of the legislation.

Doctors take part in a protest rally against Rajasthan's Right to Health bill, in Jaipur, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Written by: Hamza Khan

3 min readJaipurApr 5, 2023 03:34 AM IST First published on: Apr 4, 2023 at 01:52 PM IST

After more than two weeks of intense protests by private and some government doctors over the Right to Health (RTH) Bill in Rajasthan, they reached an agreement with the state government, especially over private hospitals covered under the Bill, and called off their protests Tuesday.

Announcing an end to the protests, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, “I am happy that finally an agreement has been reached between the government and the doctors on Right to Health and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement Right to Health. I hope that the doctor-patient relationship will remain the same in future as well. #RightToHealth”.

मुझे प्रसन्नता है कि राइट टू हेल्थ पर सरकार व डॉक्टर्स के बीच अंततः सहमति बनी एवं राजस्थान राइट टू हेल्थ लागू करने वाला देश का पहला राज्य बना है।

मुझे आशा है कि आगे भी डॉक्टर-पेशेंट रिलेशनशिप पूर्ववत यथावत रहेगी।#RightToHealth

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 4, 2023

Earlier in the day, a delegation of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Rajasthan, Private Hospital and Nursing Home Society (PHNHS), and United Private Clinics and Hospitals of Rajasthan (UPCHAR) reached an eight-point agreement with the state government. “Now 98 per cent of the private hospitals have come out of it, so why should we continue the protest now,” Sunil Chugh, President, IMA Rajasthan, told The Indian Express.

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As per the agreement, it was noted that the health minister has already excluded less than 50 bedded private multi-speciality hospitals from RTH. Second, all private hospitals “established without taking any facilities from the government in form of land and building at subsidised rate shall also be excluded from RTH Act.”

The hospitals to be included in RTH will include four categories of hospitals: private medical college hospitals, hospitals established on PPP mode, hospitals established after taking land from the government free of cost or on subsidised rates and fourth, and hospitals run by trusts (those funded by the government in form of land and building).

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Another point in the agreement is that police cases and other cases registered during agitation shall be withdrawn, and that there will be a single window system for licences and other approvals for hospitals.

Moreover, the renewal of the fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) for hospitals will be done every five years and any further change in rules will be made after consultation with two representatives of IMA as per the agreement.

Hamza Khan

Hamza Khan is a seasoned Correspondent for The Indian Express... Read More