Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated a private hospital in his hometown of Jodhpur on Monday, and expressed his displeasure with the ongoing protest by private hospital owners over the Right to Health Bill.
Gehlot said the medical profession is a service and not a means to make money. "But since they are making money, they do not want this bill. They should not do so," he said, targeting the private hospital owners.
The Rajasthan Right to Health Bill seeks to give the residents of Rajasthan the right to avail free healthcare services from hospitals, clinics and laboratories. This will include private establishments as well.
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The Chief Minister said healthcare and education have been placed under the category of service, and not business, in the Constitution. Gehlot said any accident victim reaching private hospitals should be given treatment immediately and his government would bear the cost.
He said his government is soon coming up with a bill on social security and has also appealed to the prime minister to enact a similar law at the national level. "There is a dire need for a uniform law in the country for social security. This will help in providing equal pension to widows, the elderly and labourers across the country. State governments will also contribute their share in it," he said. Gehlot is currently on a visit to his hometown.
