Pune social activist’s fight for Right to Treatment gets a boost with National Digital Health Mission

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Pune, August 16, 2020: Three years ago, Pune-based social activist Amit Singh launched an online campaign for including ‘Right to Treatment’ provision in the Constitution as people with less or no money are denied proper healthcare facilities. The campaign on change.org has received 198,625 signatures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech yesterday announced the National Digital Health Mission. This mission includes two demands from Singh’s campaign. “I have been asking for the creation of a Central Patient Data System (CPDS) which will have provision to give full access to doctors to study all old reports of the patient and diagnose accordingly. I have been writing to all important ministries, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and political party leaders. I am glad that PM Modi has included two points from my online petition”, Singh said. 

What is the National Digital Health Mission?

PM Modi said that the National Digital Health Mission will bring a new revolution in India’s Health Sector. Technology will be used prudently to reduce the challenges in treatment. Every Indian will be given a Health ID. This Health ID will work as a Health Account of every Indian. This account will contain the details of every test, every disease, the doctors you visited, the medicines you took and the diagnosis. When and what was the report, all such information will be incorporated in the Health ID.

“The National Digital Health Mission will eliminate all these difficulties related to the appointment with a doctor, depositing money, making a slip in the hospital, etc. We are devising a system which will help every citizen to make a better and informed decision”, PM Modi said.

What made Singh start the online petition?

“I have seen many cases where patients are neglected mostly because they cannot afford the cost of treatment. Many patients have died due to the absence of treatment on time. Therefore, I started the campaign. I am thankful to people (about two lakh till now) who have supported my petition”, Singh said.

Amit Singh

What are other demands in the online petition?

  • Ensure that every citizen of India has the right to get proper treatment
  • Make Compulsory 25% free treatment in a private hospital for the economically weak
  • Ensure accountability of these patients
  • Ensure the treatment of the patient will continue who invest everything into the treatment
  • Have provision to immediately cancel or suspend the doctor license after any negligence complaint
  • Have provision to cancel the license of diagnosis centre and pathology lab after multiple rejections of reports by doctors and hospitals
  • Make compulsory availability of generic medicine store in private hospitals and control the cost of branded medicine
  • Have Provision of credit loan scheme from government and institution for the treatment of the serious patient
  • Create Medical Task Force for monitoring the Government Hospital situation
  • Ensure that Patient Welfare is important for every doctor
  • Provision for immediate judicial enquiry for negligence