Healthcare bill for free treatment for all submitted in Assam
POSTED March 12, 2010 - 15:12 | POSTED BY Neha Jindal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on March 12, 2010 - 15:47
According to Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the bill is a beginning for making healthcare an elementary right for all the people.
He further stated that it would “revolutionise the health sector in the state”.
“The basic idea is to ensure that in case of any emergency, a patient who is in an extremely serious condition immediately gets treatment in any hospital for the first 24 hours free of cost,” added Sarma.
Assam the first state to step towards free healthcare
The Assam Public Health Bill, 2010, which will be brought in the Assembly on March 31, requires health organizations to provide free healthcare facilities to any patient in crisis of any kind for the initial 24 hours.
The bill also proposes that patients who cannot pay for the medication in private hospitals could later be moved to economical government hospitals, post emergency treatment.
“The bill seeks to provide protection and fulfillment of rights in relation to health and well-being, health equity and justice for achieving the goal of health for all,” said Sarma.
Sarma further stated, “Assam is the first state to bring such a bill that makes access to healthcare--so far treated as ‘charity’--a right of the people.”
However, he added that all these measures will be confirmed and integrated according to the rules to be outlined under the legislation.
“After the bill is passed in the Assembly, rules would be framed to define ‘emergency’ under the legislation,” said the minister.
Citizens’ healthcare rights
The bill states that if the patients later shifted to government medical organisations do not receive free treatment, they would be allowed reimbursement for the cost incurred by them.
The bill also offers that patients would have the right to ask for their inclusive health records of the last at least two years.
“The bill provides for the constitution of a state public health board at the state level and district public health boards at the district level to ensure implementation and monitoring of the provisions of healthcare system,” said Sarma.
Simultaneously, it will also assign tasks to various branches lest there is recurrence of contagious diseases.
The bill will also ensure proper sanitation and secure drinking facilities along with execution and supervision of the healthcare prerequisites.
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