Assam has become the first state in the country to enact a legislation declaring right to health as an inclusive right of every citizen of the state. The Assam Public Health Bill,2010,which was passed without any hurdle in the Assembly on Wednesday,also makes it mandatory for all government hospitals as well as private health establishments to extend free services for 24 hours to a patient seeking emergency treatment. The Act guarantees the peoples right to health and makes it obligatory on the part of the government to provide access to healthcare services to every citizen and ensure that there shall not be any denial of healthcare directly or indirectly to anyone by any healthcare service provider,be it government or private. Another significant aspect of the Act is that it empowers the state Health Department to fix responsibility and accountability of departments and agencies concerned in case of repeated outbreak of communicable,viral and waterborne diseases.
