Due to the strike of private hospitals and doctors against the Right to Health (RTH) Bill in Rajasthan, many patients are upset and waiting for the strike to end for treatment, while many are forced to move to other states.
Among such patients is Ramavtar Gupta, a 70-year-old government pensioner suffering from diabetes and lung disease, who visits a private hospital on Tonk Road in Jaipur every month to get medicines from a doctor under the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS) Were.
His medicines ran out three days ago and started waiting for the strike of private hospitals to end. Seeing no hope, Gupta bought medicines from a drug store for some time without a doctor’s prescription.
Similarly, Pramila Devi, 65, had a cataract operation at a private hospital in Gopalpura bypass and the doctor asked her to come for a check-up after a month.
Eye drops have run out and he and his family members have no option but to wait for the strike to end to consult doctors. They are also confused about whether to continue with the drops or stop.
There are countless patients who are suffering due to the strike of private hospitals and doctors against the Right to Health (RTH) Bill. Private practitioners are demanding withdrawal of the RTH Bill passed in the state assembly. They say that this law will increase the interference of bureaucracy in the functioning of private hospitals.
Demanding complete withdrawal of the bill, private hospitals in the state are completely closed – no OPDs, no emergency services. The private doctors’ strike entered the 13th day on Thursday.
According to the Bill, every resident of the state will have the right to emergency treatment and care “without prepayment” in any “public health institution, healthcare establishment and designated health centre”.
Due to this strike, a part of patients from private hospitals have been shifted to government hospitals while many patients, who believe that they are not facing any emergency, are waiting for the end of the strike instead of going to government hospitals. are waiting
However, there are also many patients who are going to neighboring states like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for treatment.
Government employee Yashwant Kumar said, “Everyone can see that doctors are opposing this bill and the government is defending it. There is nothing for the convenience of the patients.”
Share broker Omprakash said that he is having neck pain but is waiting for the private doctors’ strike to end considering the long queues at government hospitals.
He said, “I get very little time so I cannot go to the government hospital and scramble to see the doctor unless there is an emergency. I did some yoga and exercise. Got some relief, but I am in pain and so I have come to the pharmacy (shop) to take painkillers.
The owner of the pharmacy in Mansarovar said that due to the strike, many people like Omprakash are coming to buy medicines on the basis of symptoms. At the same time people from nearby areas of neighboring states who can spend money or who have emergencies are going to private hospitals in other states.
There are many patients who have gone to Gujarat from Udaipur division. Similarly, the people of Kota division are looking for alternatives in Madhya Pradesh. For the people of Alwar and Bharatpur, hospitals in Delhi like AIIMS are the preferred option.
Shobhit Saxena of Kota said that his wife has been diagnosed with a tumor in her throat and doctors have advised surgery at the earliest. Since government hospitals are overcrowded, he is planning to go to Gujarat for the same.
A health department official said arrangements are being made in government hospitals to handle the workload.
Around 300 Junior Resident Doctors have been selected through ‘Walk-in Interview’ on two days on Tuesday and Wednesday while 700 more Junior Resident Doctors will be selected soon.
“This will help in reducing the pressure on government hospitals attached to medical colleges. The government has its own huge infrastructure and it has been strengthened during Corona.
Dr Vijay Kapoor, secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society, said that there are around 2,400 private hospitals and nursing homes in Rajasthan, including around 500 nursing homes/hospitals in Jaipur.
He said, “70 percent of the services in the medical and health sector are provided by the private sector. Due to the strike of private doctors, patients are going to other states. Government doctors of Rajasthan also went on a one-day strike on Wednesday in support of private doctors.
However, the officials claimed that the strike had no significant impact and the footfall of the government hospitals remained limited. Many government doctors also returned to work after two-three hours of boycott at many places.
Chief Secretary Usha Sharma and other senior officials of the state government held a meeting with a delegation of agitating private hospitals on Sunday and assured them of discussing their suggestions regarding the bill.
However, the private practitioners are adamant on withdrawing the bill and said that any discussion is possible only after the bill is withdrawn. The Bill was passed as per the recommendations of the Select Committee.
Doctors say that their one-point demand is to withdraw the bill and only after the government fulfills the demand, there will be any discussion on its points.
Health Minister Parsadi Lal has already clarified that the bill will not be withdrawn as all the suggestions given by the doctors have already been incorporated in the bill and hence the demand is unwarranted.
Meena said on Wednesday, “The way private doctors are sitting on strike forgetting their WHO oath, forgetting their medical religion, is not right, they should return to work.”
Meena said that if the agitating doctors have any suggestions, they can give them.
He said, “He has something to say… If there is anything left in the law or if he has any suggestion, he can give his suggestion to the Chief Secretary anytime, the doors of our government are always open.”
