The Doctor Is Not in
The state’s plans to bring private healthcare to heel have not gone down well
With elections to the Karnataka assembly less than six months away, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is directing his attention to the serious business of voter appeasement. One overambitious bid, though, to rein in the private healthcare industry, is beginning to unravel. The proposed Karnataka Private Medical Establishments ( Amendment) Bill, 2017, has provisions to cap prices of healthcare services and punish doctors for medical negligence, even jail them, if necessary.
If the Congress government has its way, the proposed districtlevel ‘ grievance committees’ ( consisting of local politicians, panchayat heads, police officers, health officers etc.), will be empowered to summon a private doctor if a patient lodges a complaint of deficient service. It can even convict him/ her to a term of up to five years with fines up to Rs 5 lakh for violations and substandard treat
ment. All this while the accused is not even entitled to a lawyer during the trial!
Understandably, the proposal has led to a massive backlash— 50,000plus doctors struck work twice in the past two months. On Monday ( November 13), 10,000odd private doctors turned up to protest in Belagavi where the winter session of the assembly will see the tabling of the contentious KPME bill.
Medical experts and public healthcare providers have trashed the controversial amendment. Dr Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health, lamented the poor attitude of the government tow ards the medical profession. “The gov ernment fixing prices will upset the business plans of hospitals,” he said, indicating that it could affect Bengaluru’s image as a healthcare hub and medical tourism destination.
Incidentally, the amendments are proposed at a time when Karnataka ranks poorly in comparison to neighbouring states in curbing Maternal Mortality Rate ( MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate ( IMR). Karnataka’s MMR is 133 per 100,000 live births as against Andhra Pradesh’s 92, Tamil Nadu’s 79 and Kerala’s 61. Likewise, Karnataka’s IMR is 31 when Tamil Nadu’s is 21 and Kerala’s 12.
“Instead of improving healthcare services in government hospitals, politicians are targeting us. If implemented, private establishments, including clinics, nursing homes, corporate hospitals and diagnosis centres will have to shut shop in tier II and III towns,” claimed Dr H. N. Ravindra, president, Karnataka unit, Indian Medical Association, which has been spearheading the movement against the proposed amendment.
The doctors are also agitated about the manner in which the government has gone about the exercise. “They initially tabled the amendment bill in June this year and referred it to a joint select committee after we raised concerns. We are not opposing the bill in toto, but the government is not even open to a dialogue,” says Dr T. Sathish, an anaesthesiologist who participated in the November 13 agitation. Cardiovascular surgeon Dr Vivek Jawali envisages a different scare scenario: “This proposal will lead to a hafta raj in Kar nataka, with doctors being harassed by the committees.”