The Hindu : New Delhi News : Now nursing homes, labs to obtain licences from MCD

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Friday, Mar 24, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Now nursing homes, labs to obtain licences from MCD

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Owners of nursing homes and medical laboratories in the Capital might have to deal with inspectors of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in the near future as the Standing Committee of the civic body has passed a resolution making it mandatory for owners of the two establishments to take licences from the civic body.

Tabled by Municipal Commissioner A.K. Nigam at Wednesday's Standing Committee meeting, the resolution was supported by the ruling Congress councillors stating that it would regulate nursing homes and laboratories in the city, while the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party Vijender Gupta opposed the move stating that it would create unnecessary problems for the medical fraternity and encourage inspector raj.

The Committee empowered the Commissioner to bring the two businesses under the ambit of Sections 416 and 417 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act which would treat the two businesses as productive trade. Besides earning revenue for the civic body in the form of licence fee, the resolution will also give powers to MCD to take action against these establishments running without licences.

The resolution is likely to the passed in the MCD House without any trouble as the Congress is in a majority there.

However, Mr. Vijender Gupta has opposed the move and also written to Lieutenant-Governor B.L. Joshi urging him to direct the civic body not to scrap the resolution.

He has also appealed to the Delhi Medical Association to come forward and oppose the move that would bring medical institutions under inspector raj.

Stating that since 1953 nursing homes and laboratories come under the Delhi Nursing Home Registration Act and the Director of Health Services was the competent authority for issuing licenses under the Act, Mr. Gupta pointed out that even the rate of fees for licenses of the institutions have not been passed by the Corporation in the Budget for the year 2007-2008 that raises several questions.

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