Rajasthan passes Right to Health Bill: Free services in govt, some pvt facilities

• Rajasthan State Assembly passed the Right to Health Bill amidst strong protests by private doctors.

Rajasthan’s Right to Health Bill

• Rajasthan’s Right to Health Bill was introduced in the Assembly in September 2022 and was later referred to a Select Committee.
• Rajasthan has become the first and the only State in India to legislate the right to health.
• A key provision of the Bill is the provision for mandatory free-of-cost emergency treatment for every resident of the State at both government hospitals and privately-run institutions.
• The Bill provides the right to emergency treatment care without prepayment of requisite fees or charges by any public health institution, health care facility and designated health care centres for all the residents of the State.
• Further, the Bill mentions about 20 rights to a State resident which include the right to informed consent, to seek information and to receive treatment without discrimination based on caste, class, age, gender, etc.
• The Bill guarantees these rights to patients and places the obligation on the government to protect these legal rights and requires the establishment of grievance redressal mechanisms.
• The Bill ensures that the residents of the State are eligible for free check-ups, drugs, diagnostics, emergency transport and care at all public health institutes, along with affordable surgeries.
• The Bill also mandates the government to formulate a Human Resource Policy for health ensuring equitable distribution of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers at all levels of the system across regions.

Key concerns associated with the Bill

• The doctors and paramedical staff of private hospitals have been protesting against the Bill. They have criticised the provisions of the Bill as “draconian” as they significantly affect the private health sector.
• Further, the Bill has made it mandatory to provide free treatment during an emergency but the Bill does not define an “emergency”.
• Private healthcare providers have also highlighted the ambiguity around who will pay for the mandatory free-of-cost emergency treatment.
• Experts also opine that the Bill abdicates the State’s responsibility in providing health care protection and puts a larger patient load on the private sector.
• Private doctors have also argued that the Bill is futile and over-regulative in nature.
• According to agitating doctors and other staff of private healthcare establishments, amendments suggested by them to the Select Committee were not considered.
• Civil society groups and healthcare activists say that the Bill needs further clarity and must be sharpened to prevent implementation loopholes.