Rajasthan govt proposes 'Right to Health Care Act', denial of health care services to be fined under provision

The denial of health care services in any health care facility will be fined up to Rs 10,000 from now in Rajasthan. The recent provision has been made in the proposed 'Right to Health Care Act'. The draft of the act is ready and the government has sought suggestions on the draft till March 24th.

The preamble of the Act says ‘to provide protection and fulfilment of rights equity in relation to health and well being for achieving the goal of health care for all through guaranteed access to quality health care to all residents of the state without any catastrophic out of the expenditure. And whereas the presenting inequitable accessibility and denials in the matter of health care in the state are a concern to all.’

The act provides many rights and duties of the residents and health care providers and obligations of the government. It gives the right to have free health care in government hospitals and in private hospitals that are established through the land allocation on concessional rates.

The act also gives the right to family members of the deceased to receive the dead body irrespective of payment due status from every health care facility.

The act also made it mandatory for the government to provide an appropriate state budget for the health sector and within six months of the enactment, develop and institutionalize a Human Resources Policy for health.

The enactment of the act will be monitored by a State Health Authority, State Executive Committee and District Health Authority.

Notably, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had announced this Act in the budget of 2021 and to fulfil the announcement, the draft has been made public for the suggestions of citizens and other stakeholders.