COIMBATORE: In a promising development, the State government is planning to form a new law, named the Hospital Act, to bring private healthcare organisations under it watch. A draft report in this regard has been submitted to the government by the Health Department officials.
A top Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMRHS) official told Express that the department is unable to monitor private healthcare organisations effectively as it wields no power to carry out the task. All that the department is able to do is forward the complaints submitted by the public against such organisations to the local bodies concerned for enquiry.
The absence of such a monitoring system opens a climate for fraudsters to exploit the public as various cases have been reported providing poor treatment and inappropriate disposal of bio-medical waste among other irregularities. Quacks hoodwinking public is another reason to worry.
“Once the Hospital Act is enacted, one has to obtain approval from us to start any healthcare institution, including laboratories, clinics and hospital. A timeframe will also be given to existing organisations to register with the department with all pertinent details related to the facilities, faculty, disposal of waste and quality of treatment. Presently, hospitals have to obtain an NOC from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to open a health care organisation. However, effective monitoring has not been taking place. Once the details are received, we can plan things accordingly to improve the standards,” the official said.
The development comes even as an official has admitted that the government does not even have the list of total number of private healthcare organisations in the State.
Revealing that a committee has been constituted to form the draft report, a panel member said, “The report was framed a few months ago but it has to be revised due to certain objections raised by private hospitals. A meeting has been held with private hospitals for the purpose and the report submitted to the government for approval.”
Though the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had objected to the Act initially, the government has succeeded in convincing the body and the draft bill has been made acceptable to it.
“Three meetings were held and the government has agreed with us to make the necessary modifications proposed in the Act that warrants us to bring the private sector under the ambit of the District Collector. But this was not agreeable to us. We wanted the IMA to be under the Health Department and the government agreed to this. We then backed the Bill,” said former IMA President M Balasubrahmanyam.
He also said that the Clinical Establishment Act was framed by the Centre in 2010 and in 1997 the then State government had also framed a similar bill.