Pvt hospitals to remain shut on Friday

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 11

The Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) today announced to completely suspend the healthcare services at all private hospitals on Friday to oppose the state government’s decision to introduce the Central Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act.

Dr AP Setia, state IMA president, told The Tribune the decision was taken unanimously at an emergency meeting of the association held in Karnal on Sunday. He said the IMA would not allow the state government to introduce the Central Act, which aims to wipe out small and medium scale medical establishments.

He said patients requiring emergency care would be referred to the government hospitals on Friday. The OPDs will remain shut and no private hospital will admit any new patient from 6 am until midnight on Friday.

Setia said the IMA was forced to take the step to oppose the state government’s autocratic decision.

“Office bearers of all the 34 branches of the IMA, Haryana, and the state executive council unanimously agreed to take more stringent steps in the next phase to oppose the state authorities. Any inconvenience to the patients is deeply regretted as IMA is fighting for the professional interests of the doctors,” said Setia.

He blamed the state BJP government for backtracking on mutually agreed upon amendments in the Haryana Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act.

“The Central Act passed in 2010 could not be implemented due to several impractical provisions in it. There is a provision of fixing fee structures of doctors’ prescription and treatments that are not acceptable to the medical fraternity. The government wants the private doctors to treat the trauma patients for free with no provision to financially support the clinic in such cases,” he said.

“The IMA held six meetings with the government since May to bring changes in the Haryana Act. Forty objections were agreed upon by the authorities. But, now the government is adamant to roll out the Central Act,” he said.

Setia said the state government was introducing the Central Act in view of the recent incident at Gurugram’s Fortis hospital.

“Neither Fortis nor most of the doctors in such corporate hospitals are members of the Haryana IMA. Our association in no way is supporting or lobbying for the accused hospital or its medical staff. Any hasty decision will crumble the healthcare sector in Haryana and the onus will be on the government,” he said.