'Not at Any Cost': Amid Protests, Raj Minister Refuses to Take Back Right to Health Bill

Doctors have been protesting against the Right to Health (RTH) Bill in Rajasthan for some days now. However, despite continous protests, state health minister Parsadi Lal Meena on Monday said the government is not planning to take back the bill “at any cost”.

“If there’s any problem with the bill, then we are ready to hold a discussion but the bill won’t be taken back. At any cost, we will not take back the bill,” Meena said while talking to news agency ANI.

Reacting to reports of some doctors refusing to come to work as a sign of protest, Meena alleged they are taking undue advantage of the situation. He asserted that the bill was brought after a lot of discussions. “The people of the state are being benefited from it. We held discussions and abided by all demands of protesting doctors. CM has appealed to them to come back to work. They are taking undue advantage,” he said.

Apart from doctors in Rajasthan, some in Delhi also protested against the bill. Doctors from the RML hospital wore black ribbons as a sign of protest against the Rajasthan government. The state minister also said that the bill was also sent to a select committee before it was passed.

“If required we will recruit more doctors if protests continue, we will do whatever is required,” he added. Parsadi Lal Meena’s reaction came amid the strike of private doctors and hospitals regarding the Right to Health Bill.

Significantly, private hospitals and doctors in Rajasthan have been protesting against the Right to Health (RTH) bill through a work boycott urging the state government not to implement it.

Rajasthan, last week passed the Right to Health Bill, which gives every resident of the state the right to avail of free Out Patient Department (OPD) services and In-Patient Department (IPD) services at all public health facilities, becoming the first state to do so.

(With ANI Inputs)

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