Regulating private healthcare Hospitals, Clinics Must Register, Follow Standards

Nirmala M Nagaraj, TNN 26 October 2009, 03:17am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Regulating-private-healthcare-Hospitals-Clinics-Must-Register-Follow-Standards/articleshow/5161243.cms

BANGALORE: After three decades of lobbying, the private health sector had to finally give in. The final notification of Karnataka Private Medical

Establishment(KPME) Rules, 2009, has been approved by the ministry and has been gazetted in the first week of October. With this notification, now hospitals have to register and maintain the standards as outlined in the notification. The rules are aimed at regulating private medical establishments, including clinics, diagnostic centres and alternative medicine centres to ensure that people get quality healthcare. The new rules stipulate minimum standards in terms of physical infrastructure, technical know-how and staff qualification to set up a private healthcare institution. More importantly, the rules will make it mandatory for private hospitals to display the rate charts. The rule covers all forms of medical practices __ from allopathy, ayurveda, unani to homeopathy. The efforts to regulate private medical establishments in the state began in 1976. Health and family welfare deputy director H C Ramesh said: "Due to lot of pressure from the private medical establishments, regulation was delayed for more than three decades. Now, with the gazette notification of the rules, the Act will be implemented in the state.'' Though there is a list of Karnataka Medical Council-registered doctors, the actual numbers are not known. This was evident during the recent chikungunya and H1N1 flu outbreak __ lack of list of private medical practitioners affected the disease-prevention programme. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? For registration which is mandatory, all private medical establishments __ from clinics to hospitals __ should ensure clean and hygienic surroundings, proper lighting, ventilation, adequate/hygienic sanitation facility, proper maintenance of medical records, standard bio-medical waste disposal system, accessibility to attending doctors and qualified staff appointed in proportion to number of patients treated in a day. REGISTRATION While the registration fee under allopathy for medical clinics is Rs 1,000, a nursing home with more than 2,000 beds has to pay registration fee of Rs 2 lakh. There is concession in fee for charitable and non-profit hospitals. For alternative Indian system of medicine, it is Rs 500 for clinic and dispensary, Rs 2,000 for hospital with 20 beds and more and Rs 10,000 for diagnostic centres with advanced facilities. The registration is valid for five years. Hospitals have to be registerd within 90 days from the date of the Act coming into force. At the district level, a regulatory committee is formed. It comprises deputy commissioner, district health officer and an Indian Medical Association member. STANDARDS From comfortable seating arrangements for patients in reception to examination room having minimum area of 125 sq ft and consultation chambers equipped with basic investigation facilities, standards have been set for the hospitals. "There are several hospitals functioning without basic infrastructure and medical equipment and there are several hospitals functioning without qualified staff. So, we have listed mandatory basic equipment and required qualified hospital staff. Private medical establishments have to display charges to all the services rendered," said health and family welfare deputy director H C Ramesh. QUOTE HANGER We are glad to have KPME rules as this will check quacks. With registration made mandatory, we will get to known as to how many private medical establishments are there in the state. __ Karnataka private hospitals and nursing Home Association vice president P S Premnath There is need for regulation as the environment of accredited healthcare promises patient safety. And the rules need to facilitate reform in the healthcare sector and should be covered by good governance for efficient implementation. __ Wockhardt Hospitals Group CEO Vishal Bali It is a welcome move as the rules will bring in quality, standard and accountability in healthcare. Along with patient safety, it will stop mushrooming of private hospitals without proper infrastructure and staff. It will assure quality players in healthcare sector. __ Manipal Hospital COO and Medical Director Dr S C Nagendra Swamy.