Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Hospitals to get temporary registration

Guntur: With the deadline (Aug 15) for registration under the A.P Medical Care Establishments (Registration & Regulation) Act  falling behind them, private hospitals are preparing for inspection by six teams constituted by the Medical and Health Department.

Renewable

The process of inspecting the hospitals is expected to take at least a month during which period certificates of registration will be issued on a temporary basis to those that have already submitted their applications to the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO), who is the registration authority.

Hospitals have to fulfil certain conditions within 90 days of being given temporary registration to obtain permanent registration renewable once in five years.

Inspection has begun under the supervision of a district-level advisory committee comprising the superintendent of the Government General Hospital (GGH), Guntur, the DMHO and the District Coordinator of Hospital Services.

The ground has been prepared to take punitive action on doctors/managements of hospitals that failed to comply with the basic norm of registration. As of now, nearly 350 hospitals have applied for temporary registration.

At a meeting with representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) last month, District Collector B Ramanjaneyulu had warned defaulters of stringent action after several instances of exploitation in private medical establishments came to his notice.

The IMA had then agreed to display charges for consultation and services rendered in hospitals and to comply with other procedures. Hospitals have to show themselves as fully compliant with the above Act from the 91st day lest they should be seized by the authorities concerned.

Meanwhile, registration of diagnostic / clinical laboratories has become problematic as a sizable number of the pathologists possessed qualifications not recognized by the Andhra Pradesh Paramedical Board (APPMB) which is the apex body that sets standards for paramedical services to be rendered only by qualified professionals.

A delegation of pathologists qualified in courses not recognized by APPMB was learnt to have met the Collector recently and asked him to suggest an amicable solution. A decision is to be taken by the Collector on the course of action pertaining to such labs.

Pathologists qualified in APPMB-recognized courses should have no major problem in complying with the provisions of Athe .P Medical Care Establishments (Registration & Regulation) Act.

Nevertheless, the fact that a fresh beginning has been made to reform the private health care sector with which a large number of people are not fully happy has been rightly acknowledged.

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