AGARTALA: The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Tripura State Committee, on Thursday submitted a deputation to the Health Department demanding a six-point charter, raising strong objections to the state government’s recent decision to ban private practice for doctors.
In its memorandum, AIDWA said it was observing “with deep concern” that the government’s order had led to extreme harassment for patients across all sections, particularly expecting mothers, and urged the department to address the situation on priority.
The organisation demanded that the decision not be implemented without first ensuring adequate hospital infrastructure and arrangements, and called for immediate measures to end the harassment faced by pregnant women seeking maternal care. It also sought assurance of an eight-hour duty schedule for doctors and asked the department to address the deteriorating doctor-patient relationship that has followed the ban.
AIDWA further demanded that the government hold urgent talks with doctors’ organisations to resolve the crisis, warning that the disruption could also affect the state’s child immunisation programme, which it said required close government monitoring to ensure it remained unaffected.
The women’s body alleged that the ban on private practice should not become a means of benefiting the corporate healthcare sector, and called for tighter departmental oversight of diagnostic services such as sonography, CT scan, and MRI facilities across government hospitals.
The deputation comes amid mounting criticism of the government’s decision from multiple quarters, including opposition parties and other organisations, who have flagged similar concerns over patient hardship and inadequate healthcare infrastructure following the private practice ban.