JSA flags safety lapses in Raj healthcare; Right to Health Act rules still pending

Jaipur: Health activists Monday said Rajasthan's public healthcare system remains unsafe and unreliable, citing adulterated food and drugs, fake medical registrations, wrong blood transfusions and weak hospital safeguards, and blamed gaps in regulation and accountability.The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) said the problems were not isolated and that poor implementation of health schemes continues to deprive many people of proper care.State health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right and the govt is committed to improving services without discrimination. Rajasthan, he said, is moving towards universal health coverage by strengthening facilities down to the village level. "Services are being upgraded in terms of technology, human resources and infrastructure," he said.Chhaya Pachauli, JSA coordinator, said the Rajasthan Right to Health Act, 2022—passed on March 21, 2023—was a landmark step, but remains unimplemented because rules have not been notified. "As a result, people continue to face uncertainty in emergencies, shortages in public hospitals, weak patient protection and lack of effective grievance redressal mechanisms. The promise of the law remains only on paper," she said.JSA demanded immediate notification of the Act's rules with a clear implementation timeline, adequate budget support, transparent public monitoring and statewide awareness campaigns, especially in rural and underserved areas.It also urged the govt to constitute state and district health authorities, ensure essential medicines, diagnostics and staff at all levels, and set up accessible, time-bound grievance redressal systems in every district.The group called for strengthening public health infrastructure as per Indian Public Health Standards and reducing dependence on insurance-led models that increase reliance on the private sector. It also sought decentralised planning, empowerment of Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees, and simpler procedures, saying excessive documentation often leads to exclusion and delays.