TENKASI: The Health and Family Welfare Department has instructed government and private health institutions across the state to display 17 patients’ rights on their premises within 15 days. The Charter of Patient Rights was prepared by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and its draft was released by the Union Health Ministry in 2018.
According to a recent circular issued by the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services Dr J Rajamoorthy to joint directors (JDs) of all districts, a state government committee recommended adopting the Charter of Patient Rights.
Dr J Sangumani, Director of Medical Education and Research, also instructed the deans of all government and private medical college hospitals to display the patients’ rights. "We have instructed these health institutions to implement this within 15 days. The charter will also be available in Tamil," Dr Sangumani told TNIE.
Dr Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, told TNIE that he had instructed district health officers to display patients’ rights in all primary health centres.
The 17 rights in the charter include the right to information, access to medical records, informed consent, confidentiality, human dignity, privacy, non-discrimination, transparent fee, freedom to choose diagnostic services and laboratories, a second opinion and grievance redressal, among others.
After the NHRC prepared the Charter of Patient Rights, the National Council for Clinical Establishments modified it in 2021 and urged all states and union territories to adopt the charter.
‘Attacks on health staff can be prevented’
Speaking to TNIE, health rights activist A Veronica Mary said that an orientation should be organised for doctors, CRRIs, PG students, nurses and other health staff on the charter. "The charter insists on displaying rates of each type of service in health institutions. Doctors earn lakhs in referral fees by sending patients to scan centres and labs they have tie-ups with. This referral fee is ultimately taken from the patient's pockets. If the charter is implemented correctly, doctors fleecing patients in the name of referrals can be avoided. If patients and their relatives are treated with dignity and without discrimination, most attacks on health staff can be prevented. A monitoring cell should be formed to ensure proper implementation of the charter," she added.