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Which Indian state passed the Right to Health (RTH) bill, which guarantees access to equitable healthcare services for all patients in March 2023?
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
Gujarat
Maharashtra
Rajasthan
Rajasthan became the first Indian state to pass the Right to Health Bill in March 2023.
The Right to Health (RTH) Bill was passed by the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly to provide universal healthcare access to all residents of the state. It mandates that hospitals provide emergency care without prepayment and ensures access to diagnostic and therapeutic services. The legislation sparked significant debate regarding the balance between the state's responsibility for public welfare and the operational autonomy of private healthcare providers. It serves as a landmark legislative attempt to transform healthcare from a service into a legally enforceable right for citizens.
The right to health is implicitly protected under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the Right to Life and Personal Liberty. The Supreme Court of India has interpreted this article in multiple judgments to include the right to health as an essential component of the right to live with human dignity.
Date of bill passage: March 2023
State: Rajasthan
Primary focus: Emergency care access for all residents without prepayment
Scope: Coverage of public and private healthcare facilities as defined under the act
A is correct тАФ Rajasthan became the first state in India to pass the Right to Health Act in March 2023, ensuring free access to emergency healthcare.
Associate the 'Right to Health' with 'Right to Life' (Article 21) and remember that Rajasthan led this initiative, similar to how it pioneered the Right to Information movement in the 1990s.