Nadda reiterates need to enforce Clinical Establishments Act

As the Delhi government cancelled the licence of Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Friday reiterated the need for adoption and implementation of the Clinical Establishments Act for better regulation of private hospitals.

"We are aware of the action taken by Haryana and Delhi governments against the private institutions, but what I suggest is and have written to all Chief ministers that we should adopt the Clinical Establishments Act of the government of India which says that there should be regulatory authority both at the state and district level," said Nadda speaking to media on the sidelines of launch of Trachoma report here.

The Delhi government on Friday cancelled the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, here with immediate effect, after the hospital erroneously declared a 22-week premature newborn dead while he was alive.

In the cancellation order, which comes after a three-member panel submitted a report to Delhi health Minister Satyendar Jain, the government has retrained the hospital from admitting any more new patients to the hospital and stop all OPD (outdoor patient department) services on the premises with immediate effect.

Nadda said: "We have also said that there should be a display of facilities being provided by every health institution, along with the rates charged for those, and it should be clearly visible in different languages, especially in English and Hindi."

"It's a model code of clinical establishment which has been passed by the government of India. We can adopt that act or state governments can make their own act underlining their own requirements.

"But we should have a regulatory authority and regulation system which takes care of all cases related to health being provided by private facilities. CMs should ensure that such cases are not repeated in future," said Nadda.

Earlier also Nadda and Health Secretary Preeti Sudan had written to all states to issue strict warnings and take action against hospitals, including private ones, which indulge in malpractices such as overcharging and do not follow required standard treatment protocols.

The Act has taken effect in only four states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim -- and all the Union Territories, except Delhi, since March 1, 2012 vide Gazette notification dated February 28, 2012.

Also, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam have adopted the Act.

The Act is applicable to all types (both therapeutic and diagnostic types) of clinical establishments from the public and private sectors, belonging to all recognised systems of medicine, including single-doctor clinics. The only exception is clinical establishments run by the armed forces.

--IANSA

rup/nir/vm