Mumbai ka Manifesto: Healthcare facilities, doctors safety are primary concerns

The health activists, besides fighting for government to provide primary healthcare facilities across state, have now demanded safety and security of the doctors, more human resources, increase in budget and modified Clinical Establishment Act to be implemented. Dr Abhay Shukla, national co-convenor of Jan Swastha Abhiyan, said, "The government should increase its health budget to provide facilities for the citizens, improve public health services and standardise the private sector to regulate the pricing of medical equipment, medicines, and other health facilities. There is a long-standing demand of the Clinical Establishment Act. The government should look at the draft of the Act and implement it. The Act will help in regulating private healthcare facilities across the state."

Dr Parthiv Sanghvi, former general secretary of Indian Medical Association (IMA), said, "In order to protect healthcare professionals from attack by patients and their relatives, a strict law is needed to be setup. The issues of violence against healthcare professionals are increasing. It should be made the non-bailable offence."

He further added, "The newly to be formed government must look at the modified Clinical Establishment Act made for the state and implement it to regulate the private sector. The draft of the Act is modified as per the healthcare infrastructure, the demand for Maharashtra rather than having an Act like other states." Dr Jayesh Lele, IMA member, said, "Law for violence against doctors should be on priority. Healthcare professionals' security and safety should be taken into consideration by the elected members."

Dr Lele, added, "They should also focus on increasing awareness and preventing communicable diseases and increase in a number of vaccination at the primary stage of illness. The number of percentages of adult people taking vaccination-related pneumonia, influenza is less. Program and initiative should be taken by the government to promote preventive vaccination among adults." Maharashtra's per capita income is second top whereas, in the health expenditure, it ranks 20th. Dr Anant Phadke, a health activist, said, "The state's health budget should be increased. The government has reduced the public health sector because of privatisation."

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