Doctors are being used as the baits for the politics in Karnataka!! Wake-up CM Siddaramaiah!!

The most exploited, highly educated, upper class people are doctors. Whenever or wherever, whatever be the situation, if something goes wrong in the health of a person, doctors are directly held responsible. Additional to all these problems doctors already face, is the KPME act by Karnataka government. The main aim and objective of the act is to:

• i) To establish digital registry of Private Medical Establishments in the state of Karnataka.
• ii) To prevent quackery by unqualified practitioners by introducing registration system, which is mandatory.
• iii) To prescribe minimum standards of facilities and services for all categories of health care establishments and ensure compliance of other conditions for registration like standards treatment protocols, display of range of rates to be charged, maintenance of records.

Even though the act looks simple and better, doctors suffer the most. The amendment makes the doctors to register their clinics for every 3 years which is now 5. Registering the clinics looks so easy, but the bitter truth of corruption and the harassment doctors have to face in this regard is unheard of.

Also there is a regulation on the fee structure. Hospitals are to provide a brochure to the patients regarding the fee structure of different treatments given in the hospitals. This might control the high fee structure of some big corporate hospitals. But many of the nursing homes in small towns are operated by 1 or 2 doctors. They will be the most suffered by this amendment.

Section 21 gives the Power of entry inspection to government officials.

• Every Clinical records shall be open to inspection, in due discharge of his duties, by DHO or any other officer specifically empowered in this behalf by the Government.
• Under Act-21, State Government may authorize any officer of the government & empower him as authorized officer who can enter, at all reasonable times, and with such assistants if any, to inspect private medical establishment.
• He can make such examination of the premises & examine any registrar, record, equipment article for analysis and investigation.
• The authorized office, after seizing documents and records shall intimate the reason tor such seizure to the Manager of the PME.

This is turn might turn fatal to the small doctors and nursing homes in small cities or rural area. This act seems like it’s going to have full control over the corporate hospitals. But as we all know, the wealthy hospitals might just bribe the office and the small doctors are the ones who are going to suffer financially and mentally.

              Because of these amendments the doctors were on strike for several days. Common people were the ones who suffered in the quarrel between the government and doctors. Many people lost their lives. Only private sector doctors were on agitation. But how did it cause the death 50+ people around Karnataka? Aren’t there any public health care centre where one get a hi-tech treatment?

             According to NSSO data of 60th round, the private sector today provides 80% of outpatient care and about 60% of inpatient care. The main consideration for the KPME Act is t "High cost of Healthcare in private sector which raises the issue of affordability and also equity". Even though private hospitals cost so much, why do people prefer private sector over public in health issues? This shows us the failure of the government towards the development of health sector.

           The government claims that it is providing a good health care at affordable rates to the people. But the facts say otherwise. If the government run hospitals were as good as they were meant to be, we would not have seen the private sector growing substantially in Karnataka. By 2020, the public health sector is said to have a turnover of about 30 billion USD. The money spent by government on health sector is abysmally low. WHO advises spending 10% of GDP of a country. In India it is just 1%. Karnataka has fewer dispensaries per 1000 population than any neighbouring state.

        It just looks like Government needs someone to blame for their failure in the health care of the public. Doctors are being used as the baits for the politics. Let us also understand the plight of our dear doctors and mentally support them.

                                          -  Vishwamithra