Private healthcare service providers asked to follow norms in Malda district
Malda: In an attempt to regularise and spread awareness among the private health service providers about rules, regulations and service-related matters the district administration held a comprehensive meeting with all the concerned departments on Wednesday afternoon and representatives from the private health service sector.
Around 65 such health service providers, Fire department, pollution control board, drug inspector, district surveillance team, police along with the health department were present in the meeting. The nursing homes have been sensitised but their shortcoming in maintaining the required documents and licenses drove the district administration to bring all the concerned in a meeting to discuss these issues. The health providers were asked to follow all necessary guidelines or face legal action, including FIRs at the police station against the defaulters.
In a year the district administration has slapped fines on 21 nursing homes. More than Rs 48 lakh penalty has been imposed. Further, 17 Clinical Establishment licenses were suspended or cancelled. 5 nursing homes were suspended from the Swasthya Sathi scheme for producing false bills and 5 FIRs were lodged against these providers. Even a well-known nursing home of English Bazar was recently slapped with a fine of Rs 30 lakh by the Consumer Court for medical negligence.
Vaibhav Choudhary, Additional District Magistrate (General) in-charge of Health, said: “We sat with all the departments concerned about the matter and asked the private health service providers to maintain guidelines strictly else we are to take stern steps. We also heard grievances put forward by the service providers and resolved them.”
These healthcare providers have been asked to store medicines in their premises to be sold to patients, keep qualified technicians for operation theatres (OT), sterilize the OTs, go for swab tests of these OTs regularly and notify the Health department about communicable diseases.
