With an incident of rats nibbling at a paralytic patient in a Rajasthan hospital coming to light, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday put the onus on state government for ensuring proper treatment to patients.
Finding fault with the Rajasthan Health Department, Azad said the Centre was responsible for providing funds and such matters were under the purview of the state.
"Health is a subject of the state... This is the responsibility of the state ministry and departments to look after the management, conditions in the hospital.
"The Centre provides funds for the building and other facilities," Azad told reporters here after flagging off the phase-III Red-Ribbon Express train which would traverse through 23 states, halting at 162 stations to create awareness about AIDS-HIV and provide treatment.
A 70-year-old paralytic patient, admitted in the ICU of Jodhpur's Mathura Das Mathur Hospital, was bitten by rats, on Tuesday.
Azad also said an inquiry is being conducted by the Madhya Pradesh government into a case of drug trials on mentally challenged persons by doctors who reportedly received huge payments from multi-national phermaceutical companies.
On the issue of passage of long-pending AIDS bill, the minister said the bill is with the Law Ministry and discussions will be held after receiving it.
The bill was finalised in July 2006 by the Health Ministry and was sent to the Law Ministry in August, 2007.