K’taka doctors’ stir ends as govt agrees to amend medical bill

BENGALURU: Agitating doctors of private hospitals in Karnataka called off their strike on Friday after the government agreed to make certain amendments to a contentious medical bill that seeks to regulate the health sector and cap prices of treatment.

The development comes soon after the Karnataka high court passed an interim order, directingtheagitatingdoctorstoimmediately resume services and participate in the talks convened by CMSiddaramaiahinBelagavito discuss their concerns.

AddressingthemediainBelagavi, Siddaramaiah said there were certain concerns of doctors and private hospitals that were addressedatthemeeting.Hesaid the government will now table the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill (KPME), 2017, in the assembly on Monday after a few changes.“Wewillbringabillthat will not cause inconvenience either to doctors or poor people,” he said.

Morethan20,000doctorswent onastrikeand6,000privatemedical establishments, barring emergency services, were shut on Thursday in protest against the proposed bill that would define how private hospitals functionandhowmuchtheycan charge. While the CM did not specifythechangestobemadein the bill, Dr CJayanna, presidentelect of the Private Hospitals and NursingHomesAssociation,said thegovernmentclarifiedthatthe proposed price caps would only be applicable for procedures on BPL cardholders. “It was clarified that there would be no universal price cap, but only for certain procedures for BPL cardholders covered by government insurance schemes,” he said.

The earlier version of the bill had said an expert committee would be formed that would recommend “fixation of cost of each health service or treatment and different rates may be proposed fordifferent classofprivatemedical establishments”.