KPME protest: Health Department gears up to meet any crisis

Steps taken to ensure govt. hospitals function full strength round the clock

With all hospitals and medical facilities in the private sectors threatening a shut down on Thursday, the Health Department is gearing up to meet any crisis that may arise.

The government is yet to take a final call on the Bill. It has not yet been tabled in the House. In this scenario, is it right for doctors to go on strike? — Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister

Health Commissioner Manoj Kumar Meena has issued a circular directing all government hospital heads to cancel leave of staff members, if sanctioned already, and not further permit anyone to take leave. This is to ensure the hospitals function full strength round the clock, the circular stated.

Asserting that government hospital staff cannot go on leave till the private doctors withdraw their strike, the Commissioner has also directed the hospital heads to ensure timely care to all patients visiting the hospitals and submit an action-taken report.

Private hospital doctors have been on strike and will intensify it on Thursday in protest against the proposed amendments to the KPME Act, which enables the government to regulate private hospitals in all aspects. It envisages setting up of an expert committee that would classify private medical establishments and recommend to the State government to fix the cost of treatment for different medical services. It proposes to fix rates for treatments and has penalty clause for violations, including imprisonment.

There are black sheep in every profession, and the government can punish those who indulge in malpractices. We are not against regulations, but four provisions in the Bill are draconian and we will not relent till these are dropped. — Madan S. Gaekwad, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association

On Thursday, staff of private medical establishments under various association, including IMA, KPME Association, PHANA, the Federation of Healthcare Associations of India (FHAI) State unit, and all speciality associations apart from the Karnataka Medical Students and Youth Doctors Association, will stage a peaceful protest on the premises of the IMA at Chamarajpet from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., said Nagendra Swamy S.C., immediate past-president of the PHANA.

Refusing to accept that the deaths of patients in various places in the last three days were owing to the doctors’ strike, he said, “We sympathise with the patients’ relatives. But this would have happened even without the strike. Why were doctors in government hospitals not able to save their lives? It is precisely for this reason that we are demanding government hospitals should also be brought under the ambit of the Bill.”

Counter-strategy

Meanwhile, a group of citizens have formed a support group to counter the narrative of private doctors as “victims”. “The regulation is not a violation of doctors’ rights. In fact, it protects patients’ rights. It is a tragedy that this has become a doctor-versus-patient issue,” said Sylvia Karpagam, doctor and researcher.

The group is also building a database to counter the “misconceptions” floating about the KPME (Amendment) Bill and collecting personal experiences of patients who have used private hospital facilities.