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Need to Regulate Private Sector Though Clinical Establishment Act, Say Public Health Experts

Kashif Kakvi |
Doctors, public health experts expressed concerns over the commercialisation of the health sector and talked about how patients are being cheated in the name of health service.
Jan Swastha Abhiyan

Bhopal: In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the way private hospitals have been irrationally charging during a health emergency, it’s high time to enact the Clinical Establishment Act, which regulates the private health sector and enables standard operating procedure, capping of costing and robust monitoring mechanism, said Dr Anant Phadke, eminent public health expert.

Dr. Phadke was speaking at an event commemorating the memory of late Dr Ajay Khare of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan on March 6 in Bhopal.

Expressing his displeasure over the commercialisation of the health sector, Dr. Phadke, a pioneer of people’s health and science movement in India, pointed out, “Today, the private health sector has been thoroughly commercialised and governments should make it socialised as opposed to corporatised. However, the Clinical Establishment Act is pending in many states.”

In the memory of Dr. Ajay Khare, an eminent doctor, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan had organised an online/offline event that included a discussion about the state of the health system. On this occasion, Dr Vandana Prasad, a paediatrician and public health expert pointed out that change in lifestyle, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, shifting of habitats and industrialisation of farming leading to climate change are the major reasons behind the recent occurrence of the pandemic.  

“If we continue on this path, the future holds danger of new viruses and more pandemics,” she said.

Backing Dr Phadke’s demand of regulating the private health sector, she said that the Covid-19 situation worsened due to the heavy dependency on the private sector along with poorly remunerated frontline workers and lack of monitoring and data management systems.

“Science is meant to serve people; instead of doctors and scientists working according to the government orders, their allegiance should lie with the people,” she said.

Dr Madhav Hasani, general secretary of Madhya Pradesh Medical Officers' Association, while speaking at the event, announced plans to build Dr Ajay Khare Memorial Hall and a doctor’s guest house in Bhopal.

Dr Hasani, along with member of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Amulya Nidhi, have met with the state Health Minister Prabhuram Chaudhary who has assured support for construction of the hall on the JP Hospital’s premises.

At the end of the memorial event, a three-member panel  consisting of Dr Sanjay Nagral, SR Azad and Arti Pandey announced the ‘Jan Swasthya Samman 2020’ award for Dr Phadke and his splendid contribution in the Public health sector.  

Also read: Sanjukta Morcha Protests Against Hike in Petrol Prices in Kolkata

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