<h5>What is a bill?</h5><p>A bill is a proposal for a new law or changes to current laws. A bill's purpose is to establish a law that everyone must follow. Before a bill becomes law, it must go through many steps.</p><p>Once the bill is written, it is discussed in the Parliament or Assembly. If enough individuals believe the bill is good, it is passed. Sometimes, the bill may also be sent to a committee to study it properly. In such cases, the bill may pass after the committee returns it.</p><p>Recently, Rajasthan became the first state to pass the Right to Health Bill.</p><h5>What is the Bill all about?</h5><p>The Bill grants every citizen of the state the right to free treatment at all public and select private health institutions, which are not yet decided. They must provide free healthcare services, including consultation, medications, emergency care, etc.</p><p>All citizens must also be given emergency treatment and care in the event of an accident without paying any fees in advance. Hospitals can no longer refuse or delay medical treatment because the police are yet to grant permission. If someone cannot pay for their treatment, the hospital can get their fees from the government.</p><p>The government passed the Bill despite protests from doctors and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP wanted to change some of the laws. The doctors wanted the Bill withdrawn.</p><h5>Why are there protests against the Bill?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/right-to-health-bill-passed-by-rajasthan%2Fdoctors-protest-rajasthan-right-to-health-bill%20(1).jpeg?alt=media&amp;token=3ce26851-aae9-4938-9876-d5d7e9c0f54e"><figcaption>Protests being held by doctors against the RTH Bill. Photo by PTI.</figcaption></figure><p>The BJP's opposition to the Bill was focused on two topics.</p><p>1. They demanded that private facilities providing free treatments be multispecialty hospitals. So patients could avail complete care for various health concerns without travelling to many locations.</p><p>2. There must be a single complaint forum for patients instead of several existing forums. This would ensure doctors would not be inconvenienced due to dealing with complaints from several places.</p><p>The doctors were against the Bill because they believed it would increase pressure on them. They’d be forced to treat patients outside their speciality during an emergency. This would worsen healthcare quality.</p><h5>What did the state government say?</h5><p>The State Government has already passed the bill. The Government said it had consulted doctors’ associations before passing the Bill. Further, doctors would not be forced to treat patients outside their speciality.</p><p>The Government says the Bill empowers patients to get proper treatment from various facilities available in the state.</p>

The Bill has been passed despite protests from doctors and the BJP.

Right to Health Bill Passed By Rajasthan

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Right to Health Bill Passed By Rajasthan

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