IMA district unit opposes Clinical Establishment Act

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 9

The doctors’ fraternity (IMA, Bathinda) in the city opposed the Clinical Establishment Act during the state-level IMA meeting held in Jalandhar.

Notably, the state council meeting of the Indian Medical Association took place at the IMA House, Jalandhar, with the main focus on the proposed Clinical Establishment Act.

As many as 12 members from the district unit of the IMA, including president Dr Vikas Chhabra, participated in the meeting.

Dr Chhabra said, “The main motive of the state government to bring the Clinical Establishment Act is to shift the onus of its own failure to private health sector, which itself is providing more than 85 per cent of health services throughout the country on affordable prices. It is not true that private hospitals are charging high. Had it been true, India could not have developed itself as a hub of medical tourism for patients from European, American and Middle East countries.”

He added, “The state government allocated only 2.2 per cent of the total budget for the health sector in 2018, whereas the budget for the health shall be around 10 per cent like in Europe and America. Moreover, in this budget, the emphasis is on raising buildings of hospitals and dispensaries and not on ensuring adequate manpower, doctors and nursing staff among other staff.”

The Act, among other things, mandates that clinical establishments charge rates for procedures and services that are within the range that the government prescribes.