BELAGAVI: Bowing to pressure from the doctors who had gone on strike recently, the state has dropped the clause related to jail term for doctors and owners of private hospitals from the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill-2017.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Ramesh Kumar tabled the revised bill in the assembly on Tuesday. The earlier proposed bill had penal clause with provision for imprisonment ranging from 6 months to 5 years for those who violate provisions of the proposed legislation. The penal clause in the revised bill only entails monetary fines ranging from Rs 25,000 to 1 lakh on doctors and private hospital managements.
The bill also has provision to punish those who make frivolous and false allegations against doctors with fine up to Rs 10,000. In case of any complaint, the bill has provided constitution of Registration and Grievances Redressal Authority (RGRA) in each district consisting of six members. The district-level authority is headed by Deputy Commissioner and district health and family welfare officer will be its member secretary. Other members are: district AYUSH office, one member each from Indian Medical Association and one more Doctors’ Association and one woman representative. The RGRA has the power of a civil court.
The revised bill, however, has retained other provisions of the earlier bill, like constituting an expert committee to study and recommend classification of private medical establishments on objective bases, recommend minimum standards of infrastructure, staffing pattern and staff qualification, recommend standard protocols for treatment and procedures and prescription audit. The committee makes recommendations for fixation of uniform package rate for each procedure and treatment covered under healthcare assurance scheme of the government for private hospitals.
The amended bill also attempts to remove cloak of secrecy surrounding medical treatment and procedures. It says hospital should provide emergency treatment as per the need without insisting on payment in advance from patients or families in specified cases.
In the event of death of patient during treatment, the body should be handed over immediately without insisting on prior payment of dues. In case patient was admitted under any of the government health care assurance schemes, private hospitals can claim the amount as per the norms.
It is mandatory for hospitals to notify and make available to the public the schedule of charges for consultation fee, investigations, medical treatments, procedures, hospital charges and other services as well as establishment details. bill draws mixed response:
What Bill Mandates
Hospitals must give emergency treatment without seeking advance pay from patients
If patient dies, body should be handed over without insisting on payment of dues
Hospitals should display fee for consultation, investigations, treatment, procedures and other services
Redressal committee to look into patients’ grievances must have representation from
doctors as well