K’taka private hospitals’ strike: Why the protest is against patients’ rights, undemocratic

Activists allege that the strike by the Karnataka private hospitals on Friday is against patients' rights and undemocratic.

Bengaluru, Nov 3: The private hospitals' lobby is very powerful across the country and Karnataka is no exception. As the Centre and the state governments since ages have refused to improve infrastructure and facilities in government-run hospitals and dispensaries, private hospitals have literally turned into "sharks" where patients are treated at an exorbitant rate without any monitoring.

Since most of the government hospitals in the country are in shambles (again Karnataka is no exception), patients in need of care and attention have no other option but to visit private hospitals that have been refusing to come under any law and scrutiny.

It is the same attitude on the part of the private hospitals' lobby in Karnataka that is being reflected when private hospitals in the state have decided to call for a day-long strike on Friday to oppose the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Act.

The southern state has over 45,000 private hospitals, diagnostic centres and clinics and all these establishments will remain closed on Friday, causing major inconvenience to patients in need of medical attention.

While inpatient services (that is, continued treatment for those who are in hospitals) and ambulance services are expected to continue, out-patient and diagnostics services in medical establishments are likely to be hit, said the State unit of Indian Medical Association.

All 177 branches of the IMA have been directed to ensure establishments of their members remain closed.

"This is a warning to the government. If they do not address our concerns and demand, we will escalate the strike on November 10," said HN Ravindra, president-elect of IMA.

Now, why the private hospitals are on strike?

The reason, if the Bill is passed in the state Assembly in the forthcoming winter session then it will enable increased government regulation on private hospitals: including fixing of fees and cost of treatment, and a district-level grievance committee that can take action against erring hospitals.

Thus it shows that once again the private hospitals' lobby, which is of course very rich and politically connected, doesn't want to adhere to any rules and regulations that are in the interest of the patients.

The amended Bill is likely to be presented in the upcoming winter session of the legislature to be held in Belagavi and the lobby has already started bullying the government and patients by closing hospitals for a day.

Moreover, senior members of the private hospitals' lobby in the state have threatened the government that if their demands were not fulfilled then they would continue with similar strikes in the future.

If the private hospitals are dead against the amended Bill, health rights activists and government medical associations are in favour of it.

The Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali (KJC), a network of civil society and grassroots organisations working on health issues in the state, has condemned the strike in strong words.

"We condemn the continued opposition by private medical establishments to protect patients' rights, democratic accountability and transparency under the proposed amendments to the KPME Act 2017," stated a press release of the KJC.

"The private medical establishments in the state continue to oppose and resist attempts by the government to hold them democratically accountable, adhere to patient rights and safety guidelines, regulation of cost and grievance redressal mechanisms.

"The private hospitals have continued with their misinformation campaign deliberately twisting and misrepresenting various provisions in the Amendments to suit their interests," added the press release.

According to the KJC, the Bill contains several citizen-centric provisions while also ensuring adequate space for private hospitals to have their say particularly in regulation of costs and in grievance redressal.

"Therefore the intense and vitriolic opposition to the Bill by the private and corporate hospitals is unjustified and painting it as 'draconian' is not only a gross misrepresentation but also betrays their own malafide intentions of subverting a progressive legislation," added the press release.

In fact, the KJC will hold a meeting at Press Club in Bengaluru on Friday afternoon to put forth citizens' response to the KPME (Amendment) Act 2017 and present a factual comparison of the KPME Act 2017 and the KPME (Amendment) Act 2017.

OneIndia News