Day 15 And Counting: Doctors' Protest Against Right To Health Bill Continues In Rajasthan; Gehlot Blames 'RSS-Linked Lobby'

Medical services remain crippled in Rajasthan as the doctor’s strike against the recently passed Right To Health Bill continues on its 15^th day (April 03).

The Rajasthan government, on the other hand, has refused to take back the bill. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has meanwhile blamed an “RSS-linked lobby” for misguiding protesting doctors in Rajasthan.

The protest continues to grow stronger as the All Rajasthan In-Service Doctor’s Association (ARISDA), with 10,000 members, has declared to join the protests from April 4.

The Rajasthan branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also appealed to its national office-bearers to support the strike and announced a one-day national bandh of healthcare services.

“We are in touch with our headquarters and urging them to keep a bandh for a day across the country. We have also asked them to send a team of observers to the state,” said Dr. Sunil Chugh, the president of IMA’s Rajasthan branch.

Meanwhile, IMA’s Haryana branch has announced a daylong bandh on April 4 in solidarity with doctors in Rajasthan. The protesting doctors have called for a ‘maharally’ in the state’s capital Rajasthan on April 4 against the Bill.

Why are the doctors protesting against the Right To Health Bill?

The Bill, which was passed in the Rajasthan Assembly on 21 March by voice vote, gives every resident of the state the right to emergency treatment and care 'without prepayment of requisite fee or charges' by any public health institution, health care establishment (including private ones) and designated health care centres.

It defines a 'health care establishment' as the whole or any part of a public or private institution, facility, building or place operated to provide health care.

If a patient does not pay the charges after emergency care, stabilisation and referral, the government will reimburse the health care provider.

With this, Rajasthan became the first state in the country to pass a 'Right to Health' legislation.

Protesting doctors of private institutions say that through this legislation the government is shirking its responsibility of improving medical care in the state. Rather than enhancing the quality of services in government medical centres, the Right to Health Act will bring down the private hospitals and clinics to the level of government ones, they argue.