The Clinical Establishment Bill aimed to raise the standards of services in the healthcare sector and check frauds, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said on Tuesday.
Presiding over a public hearing on the Bill by the Assembly Subject Committee on Health and Family Welfare, the Minister said that a number of new suggestions had come up in the meeting by various individuals and organisations, and the panel would bring about desirable changes in the Bill when it would be presented in the Assembly session.
One of the key issues that came up during the hearing was the future of small one-person clinics, and various apprehensions raised by practitioners of modern medicine, ayurveda and homoeopathy. Many said that while regulations were necessary, the government should not bring in rules that sounded the death knell for small clinics.
The Bill aimed to ensure minimum standards for a clinical service and the parameters could not be changed, the Minister said. “Traditional knowledge is an asset and such clinics will be certified under the new system,” she added.
Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan said existing establishments would be given two years to take new registrations. “It will be ensured that those examining the parameters have expertise in the field. Temporary registrations have to be converted into regular registrations within two years by correcting deficiencies pointed out during inspections,” he said.
He added that those who had already taken certification from National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Laboratories would not be subjected to inspections.
He said that training of laboratory technicians in association with the National Council for Vocational Training and certification of eligibility would be taken up by the Labour Department.
Among those who shared their concerns were T.A. Varkey, president of Medical Laboratory Owners Association, who said that even as 70% of diagnostic centres were in the private sector, no one from the sector was on the committee that decided parameters for diagnostic laboratories.
Representatives of dental clinics said that charges in dental clinics needed to be unified and regulations should be introduced to check the use of banned metals in artificial dentures.
Kerala Occupational Therapy Association representative said that there should be a regulatory body for the services.
MLAs A.K. Saseendran, U. Pratibha Hari and P.K. Basheer participated in the meeting.
District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirullah and officials of the Health Department participated.