Bengaluru: The activists of Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali (KJC) and Alternative Law Forum on Friday condemned expert committee and health department for deliberately excluding them from the final meeting.
The state government has set up a committee to strengthen the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act 2007. The committee has submitted its report to Minister for Health K R Ramesh Kumar.
The committee has decided to drop the word ‘private’ from the Act, drawing the ire of public health activists.
“The recommendations are anti-people and designed to strengthen the private health sector lobby. We are dissociating ourselves from the committee and its recommendations. We do not want to be party to its anti-people recommendations that are designed to fail the people of this State and to destroy the public health system,” said Akhila Vasan of KJC.
The activists alleged that the final deliberations were held with only representatives of the private health sector.
“ It is no surprise that the drafting committee has decided to drop the word – private – from the Act thereby, bringing in the government health system also under the ambit of the Act,” she said.
However, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Shalini Rajneesh said the final meeting only involved the legislation drafting committee members and the expert committee.
