The State government on Wednesday promised to set up an independent regulatory authority headed by a judge to curb indiscipline and negligence among doctors in State-run hospitals. One of the major complaints of private medical practitioners, who were protesting against the earlier draft of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2017, was that there is no such regulation for government doctors.
Replying to the debate on the KPME Bill, Health and Family Welfare Minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar said the authority would be set up to hear grievances of the public and patients regarding dereliction of duty, indiscipline, and harassment by doctors. The Legislative Assembly passed the Bill by voice vote.
The Minister made the assurance on setting up of the authority following members’ complaints that the Bill had not aimed at reigning in indiscipline of doctors working in government hospitals and health centres across the State.
Speaking on the Bill, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar, H.D. Kumaraswamy (JD-S), Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, D.N. Jeevaraj, C.T. Ravi, and Ravi Subramanya (all BJP) and several other members referred to cases of alleged “carelessness” of government doctors in delivery of health services and demanded reforms and measures to improve delivery of health services in government utilities.
Members alleged that government hospitals have been facing problems such as shortage of doctors, paramedical staff and drugs, besides harassment of patients by doctors, and said instead of regulating private hospitals, steps should be taken to ensure timely delivery of services in government hospitals.
Mr. Kumar said, “Medical negligence is a big menace and it exists in both government and private hospitals. We need to regulate this, without favour and fear. The government will constitute a regulatory authority headed by a judge.” Suitable actions in this regard would be announced in the next session of the legislature, he said.
He said government hospitals had been neglected since long time and he had taken steps to improve services there by recruiting doctors and supplying equipment and drugs.
To ensure healthcare for all, the government would provide universal healthcare cards to all households in the State. According to him, the KPME Bill was “neither diluted nor weakened” by any standard, and it was the media which hyped the imprisonment clause that existed in the 2007 Act to tackle the menace of quacks. “Imprisonment clause existed in this Bill also to prevent quacks,” he said.
The Minister said the Bill envisages two committees — regulatory committee and grievance committee. Both the panels will be headed by deputy commissioner.
