"Belagavi chalo", screamed the banners put up outside the private hospitals across Karnataka, as private doctors have resorted to mass boycott of duty to express solidarity with their fraternity members who are on an indefinite strike to oppose the contentious medical bill that proposes cap on treatment costs and stringent punishment for erring doctors, including jail term. The private establishments, lead by Indian Medical Association, dub the bill as “draconian” and have sought removal of punitive clauses. They have also dared the government to set right the government hospitals before attempting to regulate the private sector.
The Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (Amendment) Bill 2017 was tabled in both houses of the Karnataka Legislature on Tuesday, during the ongoing winter session being held at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi. Soon after Health Minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar tabled the bill, the doctors intensified their protests.
With the negotiations between the state government and the private doctors failing to result in a favourable response, the doctors' associations have threatened to call a statewide protest on Thursday, when they intend to boycott both outpatient and inpatient services. The move is likely to further deepen the crisis as the state has already witnessed at least eight deaths for want of medical care in the last two days. Moreover, it is believed that nearly 75 to 80 per cent of patients go to private hospitals for treatment.
The earlier act, passed in 2007, was aimed at regulating the private sector by making registration of all medical establishments mandatory, along with record keeping, display of rate cards for various procedures and treatments, besides setting minimum standards of facilities. The government has now gone a step further to strengthen the grievance redressal system, argue activists.
“The new committee is uncalled for as we already have a legal framework to handle such complaints in the form of Consumer Courts or the Karnataka Medical Council. Moreover, the aggrieved can file a criminal case in the court too,” said H.N. Ravindra, president-elect, Indian Medical Association.
While the deadlock continues, it also exposed the rift within the ruling Congress. While the BJP and JD(S) have chosen to take the middle path by throwing in “suggestions” to the health minister to shield the doctors from being victimised, the Congress members are worried about the repercussions of a stringent move against the private healthcare providers in an election year.
“The government should talk to the doctors and amicably settle the issue as the people are suffering,” said leader of the opposition in assembly Jagadish Shettar.
JD(S) national president and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda said it was unjust to not allow a doctor to hire a lawyer to defend him in the courts.
On Wednesday, a day after the bill was tabled in the lower house, it was clear that the Congress stood divided over the bill. During the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, the party MLAs and ministers expressed their reservations over the bill and Ramesh Kumar was left all alone to defend the bill.
An emotionally charged Kumar apologised to the families of the deceased, but clarified that his intent was to get the bill passed as it would greatly benefit the poor and make healthcare affordable to all. Recalling his mentors – former chief minister D. Devaraj Urs, former speaker K.H. Ranganath and Puttaparti Sai Baba—Kumar asserted that he would go by the ideals of these great men.
Kumar had stormed out of the CLP midway, unhappy over the CM and the party members not backing him over the contentious bill. “I beg of you, ask all your queries to my leader,” said Kumar refusing to speak to the media.
Last June, private medical establishments had protested against the bill, which was eventually stalled in the house and instead a joint select committee was asked to submit a report on the merits and demerits of the bill. However, the committee favoured little changes, which has lead to a face-off between the private sector and the government.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who suspects the opposition parties might corner the government over the deaths and the ongoing protests, has given a gag order to his partymen. The health department has issued a circular barring all government doctors from going on leave to meet the additional burden of patients owing to the ongoing protest by the private doctors.
