BERHAMPUR: Ganjam district administration on Saturday sealed a private diagnostic centre in the City for functioning without a licence for past five years. The action was taken after the reply of Anand Diagnostic Centre to a notice on norm violation was found unsatisfactory.
Notices were issued to seven nursing homes and diagnostic centres in Berhampur in the second week of June after raids were conducted on several such establishments by a team of health officials led by Sub-Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan on the direction of Collector Prem Chandra Choudhury.
The action came after a few Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY) beneficiaries had complained to the Collector that a few private nursing homes were asking them to pay for their treatment. Under BKKY, a patient is entitled to get free treatment from Government hospitals. Some private nursing homes can also treat such patients and get their expenses reimbursed from the Government.
During the raid, the nursing homes, which were found to be operating without valid licence, using unauthorised ultrasound machines and not providing free treatment to BKKY beneficiaries, were issued notices, asking to explain why action should not be taken against them for norm violation.
As the reply of two nursing homes were not satisfactory, the administration sealed their ultrasound machines a few days back. On Friday, licences of two nursing homes were withdrawn for not providing free treatment to BKKY beneficiaries and on Saturday Anand Diagnostic Centre was sealed for operating without valid licence.