Private hospitals are observing a strike on Tuesday in response to the state government's plan to implement the Clinical Establishment Act in the state.
Over 2,500 private hospitals have suspended all the services including emergency and OPD after the government has decided to implement the Act overseeing the hospital functioning.
According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the government wants to know what kind of facilities are there in private hospitals, how much staff there are, what kind of medicines are used.
Dr Manoj Sobit, Co-chairman, Joint action committee IMA Punjab said, "The government will interfere and make it a factory system, which the private hospitals do not tolerate at all. This strike has been decided by the Private Hospital Association and IMA Punjab."
"Government has decided to bring this bill that will increase the burden on the patients coming to a private hospital," said IMA.
"Due to COVID-19, the doctors are working hard. We do not even have adequate staff, but the government is adamant to bring the bill even in this difficult time, which we deny in our strike today. If they persist, then small nursing homes will be closed in the coming days, which will provide expensive medical facilities to the common man," said Sobit.
"We have closed the hospitals for a day but if the government does not understand it then we will intensify our strike," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )