New Delhi:
Stressing that the government's responsibility of providing healthcare to citizens is enshrined in the Constitution, NCP Rajya Sabha member Fauzia Khan on Monday asked the Centre to enact a health guarantee law and ensure health facilities for all.
Raising the matter through a special mention in House, Khan said it seems that the healthcare sector has become a business sector. She said people are reluctant to go to government-run hospitals because of the casual approach of the staff towards patients in many facilities.
She said people go to a government-run hospital only when they cannot afford treatment in a private facility. She said people prefer to sell off gold or property to go to a private hospital rather than opting for a government-run hospital.
"The government should enact a health guarantee law and guarantee the provision of health facilities to all the people through the government. The criteria for health facilities should be decided by the government," Khan said.
She also stressed that it was necessary to determine a standard operating procedure for the health sector.