Malda: Single-window facility set up to regulate pvt medical service providers

Malda: In compliance with the continuous efforts of the district administration to regulate the private medical service providers in Malda, a single-window facility has been set up. The facility started on Thursday on the 2nd floor of the Collectorate Building, office of the District Magistrate, in English Bazar with the officials from the concerned departments.

All the medical service providers who are defaulters in getting the required permissions from different departments can visit the facility to resolve the matters on spot. Further, they will be guided by these officials on when and how they should regularise their paper work to get shielded from being penalised.

One official each from Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) office, Fire department, drug control and Pollution Control Board have been deployed in the facility. Primarily, the facility will work twice in a month. After January 11, the officials will again sit on January 18 for the same purpose.

The district surveillance team of Malda raided and closed 16 illegal diagnostic centers and permanently sealed one nursing home in the past 3 months. These diagnostic centers have been running their practice almost without any valid paper mandatory for such facilities. The nursing home in English Bazar was found to practice illegal abortions.

To set up such a facility, the Clinical Establishment (CE) license is mandatory but before that permissions from both Fire department and Pollution Control Board are also needed. Further, a tie up will be established by the centre with a biomedical waste disposal agency and a trade license to be made from municipality or Panchayat.

Piyush Salunke, additional district magistrate (general), said: “We want to make sure that all these medical service providers obey the Clinical Establishment rules and act accordingly. Any deviation will not be tolerated.”