Doctors threaten of dharna over Bengal health bill

Over a 1,000 doctors walked in protest here on Friday demanding a revocation of "anti-doctor" and "anti-people" clauses in the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Act.

Demanding amendments to specific clauses which they claimed as being "anti-doctor", the medical practitioners threatened to stage a sit-in-protest in two weeks' time if the Bengal government didn't consider their request for changes.

"We will give them two weeks' time and if they don't take up the issue in consultation with us, then we will sit for a dharna infront of BC Roy House," said Indian Medical Association (south Kolkata branch) President R.D. Dubey, also a member of the West Bengal Medical Council.

On March 3, the state assembly passed a tough bill regulating functioning of private health facilities, providing up to three year jail terms and trials under the culpable homicide section of the IPC, and also a maximum fine of Rs 50 lakh for patients' deaths due to severe medical negligence.

The legislation, aimed at bringing transparency, ending harassment of patients and checking medical negligence in private hospitals and nursing homes, draws under its ambit all other private medical set ups -- irrespective of whether they are registered or not.

A high power 13-member regulatory commission was also set up to monitor activities of private hospitals.

--IANS

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