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It promises to curb quackery, bring uniformity and ensure stringent norms for clinical facilities covering private clinics including private medical practitioners in the country.
But these, it seems, have still not impressed the State Governments as they have dumped the Union Health Ministry’s recommendations to implement the Clinical Establishment Bill 2010 in their respective States, terming it as “arbitrary”.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has already expressed its reservation over the Act claiming that it was passed in Parliament without any discussion and would unleash a licence raj and affect family physicians the most.
Hence, even as the Ministry is busy fine-tuning rules for the Bill, the absence of a consensus among the States is likely to delay its notification.
“We are giving time to the State Governments to understand the positive implications of the Bill. At present, it seems they (States) are apprehensive of its provisions as it aims to bring about uniformity and standardise the healthcare delivery services and eliminate quackery,” a senior Health Ministry official told The Pioneer.
The unregulated private healthcare sector is the proverbial milch cow for some, sources said, adding the Bill’s implementation would definitely dry out their resources. “This is also one of the reasons for the opposition to the Bill,” they said.
The Bill prescribes a minimum standard of facilities and services as well categorization for different classification of clinics. It also prescribes penalty up to the tune of Rs 5 lakh for the defaulters leading to cancellation of license besides creation of a national registry of healthcare establishments.
It also makes obligatory for clinical establishments to provide treatment and stabilise anyone who comes in an “emergency medical condition”.
As per the Act, the clinical establishments would include hospitals, maternity homes, nursing homes, dispensaries in any recognized system of medicine such as allopathy, yoga, naturopathy, ayurveda, siddha and unani—whether owned by the Government, a trust or a single doctor establishment with or without beds. However, army hospitals have been exempted.
Though Arunanchal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim besides all Union Territories have agreed for its implementation, those like Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are yet to give their nod.
The official said that at least 13 States like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have already expressed their inability to implement the Act citing their own legislations. “But, they are not as comprehensive as this Bill. Sooner or later they will have to adopt if they want to provide better healthcare services to their citizens.”
But these, it seems, have still not impressed the State Governments as they have dumped the Union Health Ministry’s recommendations to implement the Clinical Establishment Bill 2010 in their respective States, terming it as “arbitrary”.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has already expressed its reservation over the Act claiming that it was passed in Parliament without any discussion and would unleash a licence raj and affect family physicians the most.
Hence, even as the Ministry is busy fine-tuning rules for the Bill, the absence of a consensus among the States is likely to delay its notification.
“We are giving time to the State Governments to understand the positive implications of the Bill. At present, it seems they (States) are apprehensive of its provisions as it aims to bring about uniformity and standardise the healthcare delivery services and eliminate quackery,” a senior Health Ministry official told The Pioneer.
The unregulated private healthcare sector is the proverbial milch cow for some, sources said, adding the Bill’s implementation would definitely dry out their resources. “This is also one of the reasons for the opposition to the Bill,” they said.
The Bill prescribes a minimum standard of facilities and services as well categorization for different classification of clinics. It also prescribes penalty up to the tune of Rs 5 lakh for the defaulters leading to cancellation of license besides creation of a national registry of healthcare establishments.
It also makes obligatory for clinical establishments to provide treatment and stabilise anyone who comes in an “emergency medical condition”.
As per the Act, the clinical establishments would include hospitals, maternity homes, nursing homes, dispensaries in any recognized system of medicine such as allopathy, yoga, naturopathy, ayurveda, siddha and unani—whether owned by the Government, a trust or a single doctor establishment with or without beds. However, army hospitals have been exempted.
Though Arunanchal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim besides all Union Territories have agreed for its implementation, those like Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are yet to give their nod.
The official said that at least 13 States like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have already expressed their inability to implement the Act citing their own legislations. “But, they are not as comprehensive as this Bill. Sooner or later they will have to adopt if they want to provide better healthcare services to their citizens.”
