The Indian Express: Chandigarh:
Saturday, 01 August 2020.
The
organisation ‘Sabka Mangal Ho’ stated Section 4 of the RTI Act saying, “where
information sought for concerns the life of or liberty of a person, same shall
be provided within forty-eight hours of receipt of the request,” in the letter.
In wake
of the coronavirus pandemic, a non-profit organisation has written to the
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij, demanding that private clinical
establishments declared as covid care hospitals be asked to proactively
disclose information on the lines of suo motu disclosure envisaged under the
RTI Act for public authorities.
The
organisation ‘Sabka Mangal Ho’ stated Section 4 of the RTI Act saying, “where
information sought for concerns the life of or liberty of a person, same shall
be provided within forty-eight hours of receipt of the request,” in the letter.
They have asked information including money to be charged by clinical
establishments, particulars of the organisation, powers and duties of officers,
channels of supervision and accountability, particulars of any arrangement that
exists for consultation with or representation by, the members of public in relation
to formulation of its policy or implementation of it, to be made public via
government health websites.
The
letter further stated that as per Haryana Clinical Establishments rules of
2018, the department of health and welfare possesses the power to access “every
kind of information from clinical establishments in connection with standard of
healthcare and emergency medical condition and the clinical establishments have
corresponding legal obligation to provide such information.
“The
right to health is a fundamental right as per the Supreme Court ruling. It is
also human right. But there are reports from different cities of Haryana where
accounts of people suffering from minor symptoms of common cold / breathing /
fever are treated as a patient of coronavirus and are turned away by private
hospitals. In such a situation, we have written to Health Minister and Chief
Secretary of Health Services, to make instructions given to private hospitals
public,” said chairman of the organisation, Advocate Pradeep Rapadia.
He added
that if the Health Department does not make the information public for the
people within 48 hours, then the Information Commission itself should take
cognizance of the matter. If the Health Department and the Information
Commission do not understand the seriousness of the matter, then the
organisation will consider approaching the High Court.
The
demand has come following a report published by The Indian Express which
enumerated an incident from Panchkula where a patient who was refused admission
by a private hospital of Panchkula later passed away.
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