Rajasthan's watered-down Right to Health Bill keeps 90 per cent of private hospitals out of ambit

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to provide the Right to Health (RTH) to its citizens after the doctors’ strike was withdrawn on Tuesday.

Doctors and medical staff stage a demonstration against the Rajasthan Right to Health Bill, in Jaipur, on March 30, 2023. (File Photo | ANI)

JAIPUR:  Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to provide the Right to Health (RTH) to its citizens after the doctors’ strike was withdrawn on Tuesday.

The doctors on Tuesday called off their fortnight-long agitation after a consensus was arrived at and an eight-point agreement was agreed upon between the government and doctors. The deadlock was ended after doctors held a meeting at the residence of Chief Secretary Usha Sharma.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said: “I am happy that finally an agreement has been reached between the government and doctors on RTH and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement the same. I hope the relationship between doctors and patients will remain the same in future.”

The key gains as follows:

• In case of a medical emergency, one will be able to take treatment in any hospital covered under this Bill without giving any pre-payment. If the person is unable to pay after treatment, the government will pay the amount.
• By bringing many hospitals under this ambit, the person who needs immediate medication in case of an emergency will now get it even in private hospitals. The treatment can be given to him in his golden hour. The emergency cases will include road accidents, snake bites and poisoning.
• Patients who will come under the purview of this bill will be able to get facilities like free OPD, IPD and emergency care. The patient will be entitled to access all his records, investigation reports and bills for treatment.
• When the patient has the right to collect the bill for every treatment and facility, then the private hospital or medical college will be saved from collecting that money.
• The other big question is which hospitals are being brought under the ambit of RTH? The hospitals will include:
• All types of government hospitals including all government medical colleges and all private medical colleges of Rajasthan.

The key takeaways are:

• The private sector has been largely left out of the bill, with only 47 hospitals in the state coming under its purview. There are over 2,000 private hospitals and nursing homes across the state.
• Only 9 private medical college-cum-hospitals in the state will be bound to provide emergency services. Over 90 per cent of private hospitals in the state will now be exempt from providing any kind of free services.
• Only three districts -- Jaipur, Udaipur, and Sriganganagar -- have 9 medical colleges that will come under the ambit of RTH.