Advocacy for Health Rights in Public and Private Health Services The experience in Maharas

Sunday, July 6, 2014 - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Advocacy for Health Rights in Public and Private Health Services
The experience in Maharashtra, India
This talk will briefly report and analyze efforts made during last some years by health activists in Maharashtra, India for fostering civil society action for promoting health rights in both Public and Private Health Service.
The talk will share the work is being done through ‘Community Based Monitoring of Public Health Services’ an innovative project which galvanizes the villagers’ feedback and monitoring of the Public Health Services in about 1000 selected villages and how this process culminates in a yearly Public Accountability meetings at many places in which the performance of the concerned Public Health Facility is systematically analyzed in a Public Meeting; critical questions are asked and promises for specific improvements are sought. This process of a kind of democratization of health services has resulted in greater assertion by villagers, better dialogue between doctors and staff of the concerned Public Health Facilities and has also led to improvements in these services.
The talk will then share how in case of private health care services Civil Society action has focused on the demand for enactment of the Clinical Establishment Act to regulate the private health services; demand for a role for civil society organizations in the formulation of the Bill as well as in the implementation of this Act; inclusion of the Standard Charter of Patients’ Rights in this proposed Act.
Lastly, the talk will share the move to form a broader coalition of Left and democratic organizations in Maharashtra to demand Right to Social Services (including health care) and Social Security.
Dr. Anant R. Phadke is associated with a number of organizations in the Health and Science Movement in India and is Senior Advisor of SATHI-CEHAT, a leading NGO in the Peoples’ Health Movement in India. Has contributed over 250 articles in English and Marathi and a few books on People’s Science and Health movement issues.