HYDERABAD: The State Government is likely to make registration compulsory for private hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic services and blood banks, by this month end.

The Government has in effect decided to implement the Regulation of Private Health Care Providers Act which was passed by the Assembly in 2002 but was not implemented, mostly due to `political pressure' mounted on the Telugu Desam Government from various quarters.

The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who reviewed the legislation recently, gave the go ahead to the Medical and Health Department. The department officials are now engaged in giving teeth to the Act by framing rules.

As the first step, the Medical and Health officials will constitute a ten-member professional body to regulate and monitor the quality of healthcare in private hospitals and nursing homes. It will also register the hospitals and nursing homes. This exercise will be completed by the month-end.

Panel members

The panel will comprise representatives of the Indian Medical Association, nursing homes, doctors and paramedical associations.

It will function under the supervision of the Government. The Principal Secretary, Medical and Health, I.V. Subba Rao, told The Hindu that the whole exercise was aimed at ensuring minimum standards of healthcare, required number of doctors and paramedical staff in the hospitals, adequate equipment, facilities of waste management and management of medical protocols like diagnostic services. Mr. Rao said they were all set to implement the legislation as consensus had already been built among professionals, administrators and politicians. Since there was no need for registration and licensing of private hospitals and nursing homes now, there was no check on them.

Even their precise number was not known, he said.

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