NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Friday discussed a private member's bill to seek right to health for all Indians, with RJD member Manoj Kumar Jha stressing the need for providing free healthcare to all instead of "indulging in hollow symbolism".
Moving 'The Right To Health Bill, 2021' as a private member's bill for consideration and passage, Jha said it seeks to provide healthcare as a fundamental right to all citizens, even as he called for revisiting the insurance model in the country.
Jha said it aims to ensure equitable access and maintenance of a standard of physical and mental health conducive to living a life in dignity and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, be taken into consideration.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he was glad that the House discussed the issue of health.
"Glad that Rajya Sabha today held an insightful debate on a Private Member's Bill on Right to Health. Ten members spoke. On the last day of first week of monsoon session today, full Question Hour was taken up. First four days were lost due to disruptions. Hope the House functions smoothly next week onwards," Naidu said on Twitter.
His comments came up as the House functioned for the first time on Friday, as proceedings all through the week were disrupted by opposition members seeking a discussion on the price rise and GST hike issues.
Initiating the debate on health, Jha said "medical poverty is increasing in the country which shows the failure on the part of authorities to provide affordable and accessible health facilities to common people".
He said the bill came after discussion during COVID-19 with many members who are now not part of the Rajya Sabha and is a tribute to all those who lost their lives due to the pandemic.
"I would like to say, In the 75th Year of India's Independence, celebrating Independence, worshipping and celebrating the heroes, having tricolour at every home is important. These symbols are very important, but democracy and our collective will should move beyond hollow symbolism. We must address the core issues and there is nothing more important than ensuring that everybody gets free healthcare irrespective of strata, location, voting pattern or voting behaviour," he said in the House.
He said this should not be called as "free" as it is the duty of the government to provide it to its citizens.
"This House must also urge the government that the GDP we spend on health should be higher, because more often than not we see that government claims of spending a big part of GDP on health care does not come true and education and health are the biggest casualty," the RJD member said.
Jha said this insurance model of healthcare is actually heavily tilted in favour of insurance companies, noting that this model should also change.
"Revisit the insurance model, if you are concerned about the health of 140 crore citizens of India," he noted.
"Health is a state subject, but there should be more coordination between them. There should be enabling legislation that should go from the Centre. It is important that health has to be seen in complete paradigm. If one Indian citizen is not mentally and physically healthy, then it gives us a challenge that we are not serious about their health," he said.
Jha said this discussion should be above politics, as death does not come by seeing voting patterns.
"Because it is above politics and we all have to urge the government to ensure Right to Health."
Rebutting him, BJP member Rakesh Sinha said the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to initiate a number of measures to provide affordable healthcare to citizens and has introduced the insurance scheme for the poor and oppressed classes.
He claimed that over 10.5 crore families benefitting from the Ayushmaan Bharat scheme were all those who could not afford, especially the poor and missing middle classes.
He also hit out at Jha for quoting a foreign journal in which China has invested USD 10 million and accused a prominent opposition party of sharing its articles against India.
He alleged that those who gave slogan of 'gareebi hatao' gave more poverty to the country and claimed the BJP government under PM Modi was reaching out to the poor who craved for better medical amenities.
There was only one AIIMS before the Atal Bihari government, which established seven AIIMS, though work on them was completed later, he said.
The Modi government is aiming to have 22 AIIMS all over the country by 2025, Sinha said.
"There are 1.33 doctors for every 1,000 people in India and by 2025 there will be three doctors for every 1,000 people and we will be same (in ratio) as USA and Australia," he claimed.
Earlier, a number of members introduced private member's bills.