Abysmal 14% doctors, 25% hospitals registered in Uttarakhand

Only 14% doctors and 25% hospitals/clinics are registered under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 in Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand high court directed the state government on Friday to seal all hospitals and clinics that are not registered under the Act.

Against over 7,400 doctors, including those in government hospitals, 1,068 are registered with the state health department, official data shows. Of the registered doctors, 910 are associated with private clinics and 158 with government hospitals. Against an estimated 3,000 hospitals and clinics in the state, 752 are registered.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), an umbrella organisation of private doctors, has decided to meet the health secretary on Monday over the HC order. The association said the order came though discussions were on with officials about the Act.

“Haryana is successfully following the Act after it was tweaked a bit. Similar discussions were held with the government here. But, the order has come now,” said Dr Ajay Khanna, joint secretary of the association.

The Act mandates registration of health units with district health departments. A private health unit will have to disclose details, such as minimum standards of facilities, whether staff are skilled or not, maintenance of records, infrastructure, and charges on diagnosis, rooms, and other services.

The association had suggested in 2015 that 19 points in the Act be changed to make it acceptable to hospitals that are running for the last three decades. “We had discussed to provide relaxation to hospitals below 50 beds,” Khanna said.

According to health officers, it was suggested to relax the clause by allowing private hospitals to have at least 25% trained staff during registration, which should increase to 50% in next three years, and then to 100% over 8 years. The hospitals would be allowed to certify the staff who had worked for over 10 years as ‘trained’.

In another suggestion, an IMA representative was to be permitted to be a member of the district- and state-level committees that conduct raids and checks on private hospitals. The Act originally had no such provision.

A majority of the hospitals are in the residential areas, especially in Dehradun. The Act mandates safe passage around the building -- enough for a fire brigade to move. But most of the units lack the space.

“We don’t have an option other than following the HC order,” Dr Rakesh Kalra said.

Health secretary Nitesh Jha was contacted for his version, but he didn’t respond.

(With inputs from Nitika Kakkar in Dehradun)

First Published: Aug 25, 2018 01:54 IST