(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: Pandemic & Affordable Healthcare

Topic: Pandemic & Affordable Healthcare

Guest:

Prof. N K Ganguly, (Former Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research)
Urvashi Prasad, (Public Policy Specialist, NITI Aayog)
Devinder Singh Rana, (Chairman, Board of Management, Ganga Ram Hospital)

Topic Description:

Terming the right to health as a fundamental right which includes affordable treatment, the Supreme Court on Friday said it is the duty of the state to make provisions for affordable treatment during this unprecedented pandemic. "Right to health is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Right to Health includes affordable treatment. Therefore, it is the duty upon the State to make provisions for affordable treatment," the court said. A three-judge bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah had taken up the issue of healthcare during the time of the pandemic on its own and also looked at instances where bodies of coronavirus casualties were not handled with dignity. The top court asked the government to devise a mechanism to give rotational break to doctors and healthcare professionals working continuously since April. On behalf of the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the government would take a decision in a day or two. The court also directed the authorities to conduct more testing and to declare correct facts and figures.