City Reports

RTH Bill: Agreement on these 8 demands ended Doctors’ strike in Jaipur

The decision followed a meeting between the doctors and the government.

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April 4, 2023, 6:07 pm

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Doctors took a massive protest rally before ending the strike in Jaipur.

JAIPUR: The doctors’ strike in Rajasthan, which lasted for 16 days, finally came to an end today after an agreement was reached on eight key demands related to the Right to Health (RTH) Bill. The decision followed a meeting between the doctors and the government, which included Chief Secretary Usha Sharma.

Dr. Vijay Kapoor, Secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society, said that a delegation of doctors had arrived at his residence for talks with the Chief Secretary at 10:30 am. “The government has accepted our demands. We are satisfied with the draft of the government. Treatment of patients will start in all private hospitals from 8 am on Wednesday,” Dr. Kapoor informed.

Before the agreement, doctors staged a massive rally to show their strength for the second time in the last 10 days. After the rally, the doctors’ delegation met with the Chief Secretary and announced the end of their agitation. A similar rally took place in Jaipur on March 27.

The agreement reached between the doctors and the government has brought relief to patients and medical professionals alike, as healthcare services will resume across private hospitals from 8 am on Wednesday. This marks the end of a prolonged strike that had put immense pressure on the state’s healthcare system.

The agreement reached between the doctors and the government covers the following eight points:

  1. Private multi-specialty hospitals with fewer than 50 beds have been excluded from RTH.
  2. All private hospitals established without any facilities from the government and building on subsidized rates will also be kept out of the RTH Act.
  3. Only private medical college hospitals, hospitals built on PPP (Public-Private Partnership) mode, hospitals established after receiving land from the government free of cost or at concessional rates (per their contract terms) and hospitals run by trusts (funded by the government in the form of land and building) will come under the ambit of RTH bill. 
  4. The government will consider regularizing hospitals built in different locations across Rajasthan based on the quota model.
  5. Police cases and other legal cases registered during the strike will be withdrawn.
  6. A single window system will be implemented for licenses and other approvals for hospitals.
  7. Fire NOC (No Objection Certificate) will be renewed every five years.
  8. Any future changes to the rules will be made after consultation with two representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

The agreement reached between the doctors and the government has brought relief to patients and medical professionals alike, as healthcare services will resume across private hospitals from 8 am on Wednesday. This marks the end of a prolonged strike that had put immense pressure on the state’s healthcare system.

First published: April 4, 2023