Patna, March 13: Taking strong exception to the state government’s proposal to introduce Medical Professionals’ Protection Act (MPPA) and Clinical Establishment Act with amendments, the doctors of the capital have threatened to take to the streets if they were not consulted with before enacting the laws.

The Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Bihar State Health Services Association (BHSA) — representing a large number of doctors in the state — declared after a meeting yesterday that the state government should take the doctors into confidence before enacting the acts. The associations threatened agitation if the state did not seek their opinion.

The doctors are opposed to the state government’s proposal to introduce provisions benefiting patients and their relatives in MPPA. The bill for the act — the Medical Service Institution Protection Bill, 2011 — will be tabled in the House shortly.

“There are 32 acts which regulate doctors’ conduct with patients while there is none on how people should behave with medics. The government is planning to put more restriction on doctors through the act, which will defeat its purpose. We want exactly the Andhra Pradesh model of MPPA in the state,” Dr Ajay Kumar, the convener of BHSA, said. The state government’s proposal to implement the Clinical Establishment (registration regulation) Act on the lines of the Union government and other states has also evoked strong reaction from the medical practitioners. They want amendments in the Clinical Establishment Bill, passed in 2008, before its implementation.

The bill aims at improving the healthcare delivery system. Its other objective is to ensure uniform standard of facilities at private health hubs.

Once the act is implemented in the state, said a senior official in the health department, a state council will be constituted to determine the standards for the health establishments.

The doctors, however, want the act to be friendlier to them. “We are not against the act. But we want some changes in the national model of the bill. The act proposes same fee structure across different private hospitals. This is impractical because hospitals charge patients according to their quality of service. Also, the bill proposes establishment of clinics in commercial areas. In Bihar, there is no clear demarcation between the residential and commercial areas. It is unfair to come up with such a norm in the state,” said Dr Jagdeo Prasad, president, IMA Bihar chapter.

Medical practitioners also have reservations on the proposal to increase the bureaucratic control over private hospitals. “The bill proposes to empower district magistrates to clear the registration of private nursing homes. We recommend to give this power to chief medical officers of districts,” Kumar added.