Private doctors oppose the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill-2017 because it seeks to regulate pricing, create a charter for patients’ rights, and bring about a new grievance redressal mechanism. “The state government is trying to make the private sector do its work. Dr Ballal’s assertion about the state’s dependence on the private sector is backed by the National Sample Survey’s 2015 report. According to the CBHI, Karnataka has 40 private medical colleges – way higher than Maharashtra’s 29 and Tamil Nadu’s 26. Akhila Vasan – a healthcare activist with the Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali – believes that the private healthcare sector in the state has become predatory.

Source: Hindustan Times November 16, 2017 14:37 UTC