Context: Recently, the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), Jaipur has joined efforts to bring robust legislation on the Right to Health in Rajasthan.
Key Highlights
Rajasthan Model of Public Health

• The state government announced the implementation of the Rajasthan Model of Public Health in the state’s Budget for 2021-22.
• It would include a Right to Health Bill as well as measures for preventive, primary and curative care as envisioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• It will emphasise setting the standards for the delivery of services, human resources and medical facilities.

Mukhya Mantri Chiranjeevi Yojana

• A universal health care scheme with an allocation of Rs. 3,500 crore in the upcoming financial year.
• It will be launched on 1st May as part of measures to reinforce health infrastructure and ensure accessibility to all citizens.
• It stipulates cashless health services up to Rs. 5 lakh to every family in the State.

Significance of Right to Health for India

• Right Based Healthcare Services: The people are entitled to the right to health and it puts a compulsion for the government to take steps toward this.
• Wide Access to Health Services: Enables everyone to access the services and ensures that the quality of those services is good enough to improve the health of the people who receive them.
• Reduce Out of Pocket Expenditure: Protects people from the financial consequences of paying for health services out of their own pockets and reduces the risk of people getting pushed into poverty.

Recommendation by IIHMR

• Setting of standards in accordance with the resources available in the State to match with the rights of patients as well as the service providers.
• The quality of medical services could not be measured unless the standards were laid down as per the availability of resources at primary and tertiary levels.
• The state governments should first set the norms and later allow flexibility to suit the diverse needs of different regions.
• The Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, have also been revised keeping in view the changing protocols of the existing programmes.