Govt to bring law to regulate clinics

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday decided to bring a legislation in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament to register and regulate all clinical establishments and penalise units that fail to provide minimum standards of services.

"The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for introduction of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2007 in Parliament," Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told newspersons after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

All the clinical establishments including diagnostic centres will be registered and regulated by the National Council of Standards that will prescribe minimum standards for healthcare services and maintain national register of clinical establishments.

The council, which will have representatives from medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy councils and Indian Medical Association, will be headed by Director General of Health Services.

It will also conduct periodic review of the standards for healthcare services.

As health is a state subject, the minister said, the states would have to come up with their own legislations concurring with the bill either in full or part.

Four states including Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur have already concurred with the proposed legislation, he said.

The proposed legislation, Dasmunsi said, will cover all clinical organisations in different streams of medicine including homoeopathy, unani, siddha and ayurveda.

As far as the question of setting up a regulator is concerned, the minister said, the issue would be considered in the bill and by the standing committee to which it would be referred by Parliament.

The government also proposes to impose monetary penalties on health establishments for violation of the norms to be prescribed by the National Council.