Public health activists have opposed the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA’s) demand that accredited hospitals be exempted from licensing under the Clinical Establishment Act (CEA) and have urged the government to include civil society organisations, representing patients, in the committee that is slated to look into the issue.

In a letter to Health Minister JP Nadda, the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), an umbrella of public health organisations and individuals, said “any policy decision about health care should not be taken only in consultation with a body that represents only a section of the medical profession,” and urged him to include representatives of civil society organisations that represent interests of patients.

The JSA said it was writing the letter after media reports said that the Health Ministry was “withdrawing or diluting” several provisions of the proposed Act after a “Satyagraha” threat by the IMA.

“We understand a delegation of the IMA met you with its six demands, which included exemption to accredited hospitals from registration under the Clinical Establishment Act. Media reports suggest that the Ministry of Health has since constituted an inter-ministerial committee to examine the demands placed by the IMA and the said committee has representation from the IMA,” said the letter signed by three doctors — Anant Phadke, Arun Gadre and Joe Varghese.

The IMA had suggested that accredited hospitals be exempted from licensing process, the medical profession and private hospitals should have the right to fix charges for private patients, the penalty rate determined in the Act should be scaled down, and the onus of safe transport and the cost involved in emergency case management should be borne by the government.

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