Ms. Sarojben Rathwa filed complaint against Dr. Harsh Shah and Dr. Shashikant Shah for negligence, in the post delivery treatment to her family member to Gujarat Medical council.
(Medical council is licensing and regulatory Authority for medical practitioners. It has power to cancel the license of the medical practitioner in case where serious negligence found and proved on the doctor’s side.)
Upon not receiving satisfactory and timely reply from Medical Council, she filed an application under Right to Information, asking the copy of:
1. Decision of Medical council
2. Minutes of the meeting in which the complaint was discussed
3. Communication between council and Dr. Harsha & Dr. Shashikant in reference to her complaint.
Gujarat council communicated that it did not know about the Right to Information Act.
Meanwhile, Sarojben contacted RTI Helpline and narrated the whole story.
RTI volunteer telephoned to the registrar of Medical council and briefed him about RTI. Hew also said that Medical Council is public authority and it needs to provide required information to the applicant.
Upon knowing that Medical council does not know about RTI, and have not received any communication or training on the act since its enactment, helpline volunteer gave them a copy of the act and also brief orientation.
The impact was that, Sarojben got all the required information regarding her complaint. The decision of the Medical council was in English. This was then translated and given to Sarojben.
(Medical council is licensing and regulatory Authority for medical practitioners. It has power to cancel the license of the medical practitioner in case where serious negligence found and proved on the doctor’s side.)
Upon not receiving satisfactory and timely reply from Medical Council, she filed an application under Right to Information, asking the copy of:
1. Decision of Medical council
2. Minutes of the meeting in which the complaint was discussed
3. Communication between council and Dr. Harsha & Dr. Shashikant in reference to her complaint.
Gujarat council communicated that it did not know about the Right to Information Act.
Meanwhile, Sarojben contacted RTI Helpline and narrated the whole story.
RTI volunteer telephoned to the registrar of Medical council and briefed him about RTI. Hew also said that Medical Council is public authority and it needs to provide required information to the applicant.
Upon knowing that Medical council does not know about RTI, and have not received any communication or training on the act since its enactment, helpline volunteer gave them a copy of the act and also brief orientation.
The impact was that, Sarojben got all the required information regarding her complaint. The decision of the Medical council was in English. This was then translated and given to Sarojben.
The point that needs to be noted, is authority such as ‘Medical Council’ which has very significant role to play in regulation of medical services was unaware of the act even after six months of enactment of the act.
It is not always the officials in the system are at fault. But if they are not given proper and timely inputs, information and training, they will not be able to respond to the queries of the citizen’s.
.JPG)
.JPG)
