NAGAPATTINAM: Health officials raided and sealed Arokia Annai Hospital in Velankanni on Friday for violating several guidelines. The officials raided the hospital after the local medical officer lodged a complaint alleging it was violating guidelines and a Siddha medical practitioner was practising allopathy in the hospital.
Siddha Council would be approached for action against the doctor A team of medical officials assisted by the police and led by Deputy Director R Mahendran visited and investigated the hospital’s documents. “The proprietor of the building had registered it as a ‘single doctor clinic’, but was not physically present to treat the patients. We have found stocks of drugs and Siddha practitioner Kiruthiga was treating patients with allopathy, particularly for fever cases. We have sealed the hospital as it had violated the guidelines of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010,” said Mahendran.
The building is owned by an allopathic doctor named Antony, who reportedly resides in Chennai and left the hospital with 33-year-old Siddha practitioner Kiruthiga. The hospital was running for around three hours. The raid went on from 10.30 am to 1 pm and officials seized equipment such as an ECG machine and nebuliser. They locked the equipment in a room and sealed it. The hospital had six beds for inpatients but was found treating outpatients at the time of the raid. Officials said the accused medical practitioner was administering banned paracetamol injections. The official found the nurse did not have proper qualifications. Officials left the main gate open so the two staff can have access to their residences.