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In Tamil Nadu, 8000 hospitals, clinics etc apply for licenses
Posted on: 20/Mar/2019 10:07:55 AM
It is mandatory as per TN Clinical Establishments Rules notified in the state gazette in June 2018 to have licences. Hence atleast 8000 clinical establishments, hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers have applied for licences to the health department.
It must not be forgotten that in the month of March in the year 2018, TN State framed a legislation making it compulsory for all clinical establishments like hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, consulting rooms, clinics or polyclinics etc to register themselves with the government. In the month of June, the rules were notified is known.
To register all the hospitals under a centralized process, DMS or Directorate of Medical Services have developed software and the last date to get application for getting registered ends on 31st of March 2019. The important information is any institution that fails to apply would not be able to function at all.
The department has trained staffs at the district level to upload data from onto the software before it is launched officially in the middle of January. This was as per Dr. N. Rukmani who is the DMS or Director of Medical Services. It must be noted that the respective district health officials would be involved in the inspection process of these establishments. The main objective behind the inspection would be to ensure that the establishments satisfy the necessary infrastructure and human resources requirements etc.
Once the establishments get qualified then they would get license for 5 years and this was confirmed by Dr. Rukmani, DMS. The information collected is the new rules would standardize establishments that serve allopathic or Indian medicine streams. Main point to be noted is it specifies the floor space requirement plus waiting area, safe drinking water supply and toilets for all clinical establishments to be registered.
As per Dr. G.R. Ravindranath, general secretary DASE, doctor’s bodies like IMA have welcomed the above move but paramedical, laboratory education and welfare associations have asked for relaxation in the norms. The shocking piece of news is around 20,000 laboratories would have to shut down and as many as 50,000 lab technicians would be in the danger of losing their jobs. This might happen in next few months if the government decides to enforce the decision.
It was pointed out that clinical labs in rural places must have atleast 500 sq ft for sample collection, first aid, processing, report presentation etc. The space must be 500 sqft to 1500 sqft in the urban places.
