Right to health bill

“Requiring parental involvement could put young people who are victims of sexual abuse in harm’s way and prevent them from receiving the timely and critical care they need, resulting in psychological harm,” the letter said. “It is also important that minors who are pregnant receive immediate care without unnecessary barriers due to the physical toll pregnancy takes on their bodies.” OPB reported that Democrats are moving towards changing the language, allowing a health care provider to override the need for parental consent in cases in which the child otherwise could face harm. It also reported that Democrats would kill a provision in the bill allowing abortion services on college campuses and in rural parts of the state. “Health care providers are trained to screen carefully and take action when there are any signs or history of abuse, neglect, trafficking or sexual violence,” the letter said. “These are very difficult circumstances that licensed health care professionals are equipped to navigate with the health and safety of their young patient in mind.”

A Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Goa offers dialysis, breast cancer screening, in-patient service, heart attack emergency management and trauma care, all under one roof. Too good to be true? At the 15-bed Pilliem Dharbandoda PHC in South Goa, all this and more is available to residents and non-residents within a 60 km radius. Could this rarity soon be the norm? The Right to Health Act approved last month by the Rajasthan assembly makes it a legal obligation for the state to provide such facilities free of cost to residents of the state. Once enacted, the Act, it is estimated, will have a recurring annual expenditure of Rs 14.5 crore. The advocacy group Prayas points out that Clause 4 of the Bill shifts the onus of delivering medical services to the government. The government is ‘obligated’ to provide funds, set up institutions, constitute grievance redressal systems, and take the initiative to set up a state health authority and district health authorities. Beyond resolving complaints, the authorities would be tasked with planning and monitoring healthcare services, and conducting routine clinical, social and economic audits. An earlier draft of the law had also covered visitors, non-residents and migrant workers. That clause, however, appears to have been dropped from the Bill finally approved. There have been other dilutions under duress. Doctors and private hospitals in Rajasthan resorted to a two-week work strike and took out huge processions in Jaipur in protest. An a...

Watch Video: CDC survey finds record levels of sadness, suicidal thoughts in high school girls Lawmakers in Trenton are advocating for a bill that would enable New Jersey teenagers as young as 13 to seek mental health treatment without parental consent. Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, the driving force behind the bill ( His proposed legislation aims to alleviate the burden faced by teenagers who lack access to support at home or are worried about approaching their parents, according to Mukherji, a Democrat from Hudson County. Nationwide the Sarabjit Singh, director of behavioral health services for Prime Healthcare hospitals in Morris, Passaic and Essex counties, doesn't see a downside to the idea. “The age should be lowered. Middle school is a time when a lot of bullying happens. Everyone's growing emotionally and physically at a different pace, so there is turmoil," he said in an interview. "They are entering adolescence; they don't know how to control their hormones. So there's a lot going on, and I think that kids should be encouraged to reach out without having to fear that parents would get to know.” Mental health crisis Mukherji has been arguing for a lower age limit for almost a decade, having first introduced legislation in 2017. But the proposal hasn't advanced. His latest bill, and its state Mukherji's proposal also lands amid a More: Conflicts have erupted in schools and board meetings in New Jersey over issues like the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed In Morris County, the...

A half dozen Democratic-controlled Legislatures like Nevada’s have moved bills protecting transgender health care, civil rights and legal protections. But Lombardo’s signature comes as Republican governors elsewhere have gone in the opposite direction, signing legislation curtailing the rights of transgender people. Still, Maylath criticized Lombardo for vetoing a bill earlier this month that would have protected providers of gender-affirming services from losing their medical license and prohibited the executive branch from assisting in out-of-state prosecution. She said that the absence of those protections would exacerbate Nevada’s already-existing provider shortage. One of the sponsor’s of the bill signed Monday, Democratic Senator Melanie Scheible, had framed the legislation as a way to save the state money due to potential losses in lawsuits against state Medicaid. She cited a 2015 declaration from the state’s division of insurance that prohibits the denial of medically necessary care on the basis of gender identity. Still, many procedures — hair transplants, facial feminization surgery and voice modification among them — are often still classified as “cosmetic” despite their role in treating gender dysphoria, regarded as a medical condition that results in severe distress because of a mismatch between gender identity and gender assigned at birth.

The Rajasthan government’s proposed right to health bill has landed in deep controversy due to objections from the private healthcare sector, which is dishonouring as a part of the protests the provision of cashless treatment under existing state-run schemes. The draft bill has been criticised as a hasty job that overlooks ground realities and suffers from lacunae that the Ashok Gehlot government is apparently resisting taking note of. Chief minister Gehlot, on February 17, urged private hospitals to end their boycott of the Chiranjeevi scheme and the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS), which provide mostly cashless treatment to private individuals and government employees, respectively, terming it improper on humanitarian grounds. “The private sector has a role to play in making Rajasthan a model state in healthcare, and we will clarify all doubts of private hospitals about the right to health bill,” Gehlot said. It remains to be seen if his appeal has any impact, given that private doctors’ associations have accused the government of intimidating private hospitals to end the boycott of the bill. Social activists backing the bill have opened a separate front by criticising private hospitals for opposing the proposed legislation. The moot question is this: Does right to health only include private healthcare, which the bill aims at, or also things like potable water, clean air, unadulterated edibles and quality roads? In short, factors determining a healthy life but...

U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, and leading public health, environmental justice, and climate advocates tour local solar business Sol-Up in Las Vegas, to tout the historic federal investments across the state of Nevada to cut greenhouse gas emissions and bolster the regions clean energy economy. Wednesday, April 12, 2023. BrianRamos By Casey Harrison ( Wednesday, June 14, 2023 | 2 a.m. A bill introduced by Nevada U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen aims to better mental health outcomes for law enforcement and first responders across the nation. The legislation seeks to improve federal mental health support programs available to firefighters, police and other emergency personnel by directing the Department of Health and Human Services to collect data on rates of first responder suicides and how to identify and treat post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Rosen’s office. The bill would also establish a federal grant program for peer counseling programs specifically for addressing mental health among firefighter and emergency medical service personnel. The Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act, also known as the HERO Act, was introduced by Rosen, a Democrat, along with Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. “Our nation’s first responders are heroes who regularly put themselves in harm’s way to save lives and protect communities, which can take an enormous toll on their mental health,” Rosen said in a statement to the Sun. “We must take action to make sure our ...

JAIPUR: As the stir crippled access to treatment in the Congress-governed state and fuelled fears of worse to come, they cast a shadow on a standout feature of the bill: once signed into law by the governor, it will make Rajasthan the first state in the country to guarantee such a right to health to its residents through a statute. Assembly polls are due later this year. Times View Right to health is fundamental to a modern welfare state. But often there are financial considerations that prevent it from happening. Rajasthan has taken a bold step. But the scheme’s success will depend on how it is implemented on the ground. Other states will be closely watching. CM Ashok Gehlot expressed surprise at the protests. “I do not know why they have taken to the roads. We agreed on their demands and made the changes they wanted in the bill,” Gehlot said in Jodhpur. On the contentious emergency treatment clause, the minister contended that the category was not open-ended. “We have kept only three emergency categories -- animal bite, snake bite and accident emergency,” health minister Parsadi Lal Meena said, highlighting the provision of state reimbursements for emergency treatments. But the private hospitals and doctors did not appear convinced. Their representatives clashed with the police amid water cannons as they urged governor Kalraj Mishra not to clear the bill.

The Rajasthan Assembly on March 21 What is the Rajasthan Right to Health Bill? RTH gives every resident of the state the right to avail free Out Patient Department (OPD) services and In Patient Department (IPD) services at all public health facilities and select private facilities. The free healthcare services, including consultation, drugs, diagnostics, emergency transport, procedure and emergency care, will be provided subject to conditions specified in the rules, which will be formulated now. Also, all residents will be entitled to emergency treatment and care without prepayment of any fee or charges, and the hospital can’t delay treatment on grounds of police clearance if it is a medico-legal case. The legislation says that “after emergency care, stabilisation and transfer of patient, if patient does not pay requisite charges, the healthcare provider shall be entitled to receive requisite fee and charges or proper reimbursement from the state government”. The Bill extends a total of 20 Rights to the citizens of the state. Police lathicharge doctors during a protest in Jaipur on Monday. (Express photo by Rohit Jain Paras) Doesn’t Rajasthan already have health schemes? Yes, other schemes do exist. Under the Ashok Gehlot government’s flagship Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme, free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh is provided. This has been increased to Rs 25 lakh in the latest budget, which will be implemented from the next financial year. Under this scheme, the government p...

Last Updated: 26th March, 2023 22:20 IST Right To Health Bill: Agitated Private Doctors Meet Rajasthan Govt, Stick To Withdrawal Demand The bill gives every resident of the state the right to emergency treatment and care "without prepayment of requisite fee or charges" by any public health institution, health care establishment and designated health care centres. The bill, which was passed in the Rajasthan Assembly on March 21 by voice vote, gives every resident of the state the right to emergency treatment and care "without prepayment of requisite fee or charges" by any public health institution, health care establishment and designated health care centres. It defines a "health care establishment" as the whole or any part of a public or private institution, facility, building or place operated to provide health care. If a patient does not pay the charges after emergency care, stabilisation and referral, the government will reimburse the health care provider. "Chief secretary Usha Sharma and other officers were present in the meeting. During the meeting, Sharma said the bill has been introduced to further strengthen the rights of the people of the state to their health. The chief secretary also assured the delegation of a detailed discussion on their suggestions," a release said. However, the secretary of the Private Hospital and Nursing Home Society Dr. Vijay Kapoor told reporters after the meeting that their demand for the withdrawal of the bill will continue. "We told t...