Watered-down KPME Bill passed unanimously in Assembly

The Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed by a voice vote the diluted version of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2017 without any changes.

The government has dropped the imprisonment clause against doctors for medical negligence in the diluted Bill. It is yet to be taken up for discussion in the Legislative Council.

Health and Family Welfare Minister K R Ramesh Kumar said the government is currently dependent on private hospitals for 30% of cases pertaining to secondary care. "Steps are being taken to ensure that the government hospitals have the infrastructure for all secondary care cases within the next three years," he said.

All government hospitals will have to compulsorily display the staff strength, stocks of medicine, availability of medical treatment on the notice board.

Ealier in the day, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar said the government could have handled th KPME Bill imbroligio better. The government had created unnecessary confusion which could have been easily avoided, he added.

JD(S) Floor leader H D Kumaraswamy said the developments in the last few days has brought to fore that there is lack of trust between the government and doctors attached to private hospitals.

Both Shettar and Kumaraswamy that they sincerely believed that Ramesh Kumar had brought the amendment bill with good intention and urged the minister to take steps for its effective implementation.

Ramesh Kumar said Karnataka was the first state in the county to make it mandatory on the part of private hospitals to hand over the body of a deceased patient to his representative without insisting on prior payment of dues.