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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) joint registrar Anil Kumar Parashar Monday said 99 per cent of its recommendations are complied by all states but Gujarat. However, the state government said it had complied with the NHRC recommendations.
“The case of 238 workers who died due to silicosis in Dahod, Khambat areas is still pending with the government of Gujarat even after five years of the recommendation to pay compensation of Rs 3 lakh each their kin. Now, the NHRC has approached the Supreme Court. All other states — Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry – have paid victims in similar cases except Gujarat,” said Parashar citing an example in support of his statement.
Denying charges, state commissioner health J P Gupta said, “Though I am not aware of the 238 workers compensation case, Gujarat is among the best states when it comes to NHRC compliance and healthcare services.”
These and other similar issues would be raised during the public hearings on Right to Healthcare organised by NHRC and Jan Swasthaya Abhiyan (JSA), a civil society network, in association with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The hearings will held in Mumbai on November 18 and 19 for Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Goa.
For the first time, NHRC will take up complaints from private healthcare providers as well. Instances of individuals or groups having suffered serious denial of their right to healthcare from a public health facility or in private hospitals, or in context of publicly funded health insurance schemes, or in context of Public-Private-Partnerships healthcare arrangements would be heard by a panel comprising NHRC members and health experts in presence of state health officials.
On the state of health care facilities in Gujarat, Renu Khanna from JSA said, “Despite Gujarat being a highly industrialised state with high levels of cross state migration there is not a single occupational health clinic and no data available on cancers due to chemicals. Though the number of complaints to NHRC is declining but the healthcare complaints are on a rise. Gujarat fares worse on indicators, including infant mortality rate (36 per 1000 live births), maternal mortality rate (122 per lakh live births) and anaemia in women (15-49 years) is 55 per cent.”