The Hindu : New Delhi News : Fine, jail term for erring nursing homes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 07, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Fine, jail term for erring nursing homes

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI, NOV. 6. Introducing more stringent rules and sterner punishments for "rouge'' health units in the Capital, the Directorate of Health Services has amended the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration Rules to incorporate clauses by which it has becomes mandatory for nursing homes to implement the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, failing which the owners of the erring units can face a fine of Rs. 5,000 or even jail term.

Adding to the already existing norms and regulations prescribed by the Directorate of Health Services, the new amendment is aimed at making nursing homes and other health units in Delhi more responsible about their bio-medical waste and also keep them on their toes.

The clause under the Handling of Biomedical Waste and Nursing Homes previously required that the units take a no-objection-clause from local bodies including civic bodies and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and also get an authorisation from the local pollution control board.

However, with new rules more health units will come under the gamut and also erring units will now have to face sterner punishment. The Directorate has added clinics, dispensary and out patient facilities (OPD) (with patient capacity of 1,000) in the list of units needing this registration, failing which the nursing homes will now be fined Rs. 5,000, for the first time and if caught violating the rules the erring authorities will be jailed. Also, the health units will now need to re-register only once every three-years.

Speaking about the amendments, the Director of the Directorate of Health Services, R.N. Baishya, said: "Delhi has 1,600 unregistered nursing homes and there are other health units which include clinics and OPDs. When last recorded, we had only 400 registered units that makes it impossible to keep a uniform status of the nursing homes, clinics and OPDs. With the new improved amendments we are setting the standards higher and adding to the already existing rules and regulations which will include higher fine, jail term. The new rules require the health unit to register only every three years. Also, we are bringing under the umbrella more units which provide health care.''

The amendment, according to officials, has come about after understanding that implementation of biomedical waste rules cannot be carried out effectively without co-operation of private clinics and nursing homes and the rules and deterrents too weren't strict enough.

"We had reports about the biomedical waste finding its way back into circulation with the waste being `illegally' sold to the junk dealers. Thus there is a need to involve the community to check this menace and also the implementing agencies require to become more stringent to take action against the offender and lawbreakers,'' explained an official.

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