The State government has simplified the registration process for private medical establishments under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act.
The new guidelines have waived private medical establishments from obtaining trade licences and uploading the Occupancy Certificate (OC) of the building where the establishment is housed. An auto renewal feature has also been introduced where registration will be renewed on payment of the fee.
Verification process
The verification process of the documents will also be held during the spot inspection, thereby reducing a step in the process.
The system will generate a deemed approval certificate if an application is neither approved nor rejected within 90 days. Those who have already applied through DD, can make an online application paying the difference amount, the guidelines said.
The KPME Act was amended in 2017 and a new portal for registration of private medical establishments began in February 2020.
However, there were several complaints that the process was cumbersome and hence, after several consultations, the Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Services issued a new set of guidelines on the registration process.
Move welcomed
R. Ravindra, president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association, said they welcomed the move.
“Since the KPME amendment came into force, there was confusion of whether medical establishments should register with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and the local bodies along with the Health Department. This notification puts the doubts to rest and states that obtaining a trade licence is not necessary. However, obtaining a trade licence should be removed from the Karnataka Municipalities Act Act as well,” he said. He added that there was lot of “harassment and unnecessary documentation” that was earlier mandated by the government, which added to costs of the hospital.
Lax regulation?
However, public health expert Sylvia Karpagam said that in the last few months, it is clear that the government has not been able to regulate the private sector in terms of cost or ensuring services under the Disaster management Act.
“The KPME has been shown to have no teeth to regulate or hold private hospitals accountable. In this situation, what is the need to further relax norms?” she asked. “While processes for private hospitals should be made smooth and efficient, they should not be relaxed,” Dr. Karpagam added.