Religion query before treatment
In India, the religious affiliation of potential patients is recorded for government review ensuring that the religious minorities are utilizing the state provided health facilities.
Jamshedpur, Nov. 25: In a move to learn if minorities are receiving adequate medical facilities, staff of government hospitals and health centres have been asked to ascertain the religion of the patient before treating him.The 15-point programme implementation panel of the state government has directed the civil surgeons of all districts to vigorously maintain records at government managed health institutions of the state about the religion of the patients visiting for treatment.
The move, the panel argued, would enable it to know whether the religious minorities of the state are enjoying the health facilities that are being provided to them by the state government.
Each state has a 15-point programme implementation committee whose task is to see to it that the religious minorities — Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsees — are provided with facilities in different sectors as laid down in the Constitution.
The fresh missive of the 15-point programme implementation panel comes at a juncture when there is serious debate on whether the state government has failed to deliver in the health sector.
The move, however, has been opposed by a number of doctors. Said a Santhal Pargana-based civil surgeon: “I feel that rather than seeking figures, the panel should exert pressure on the government to ensure that medicines and other facilities are provided at these set-ups for quality treatment.”
Vice-chairman of the panel, Amarpreet Singh Kale, however, argued that if records pertaining to other sectors like bank loans could be kept vis-a-vis how many religious minorities are getting the benefit, why couldn’t the hospital keep such records?
[ Full Story @ TelegraphIndia.com ]
Source: TelegraphIndia.com © 2005 The Telegraph
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Filed under: Government, Perspectives
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