The sensational disclosure of a kidney racket in one of a private dental hospital has exposed the vulnerability of the health system and lack of monitoring of private health centres.
The heinous crime of organ trafficking was taking place in the Uttaranchal dental College hospital located in laltappar area of Doiwala. The area incidentally falls in the assembly constituency of Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat.
The police have arrested a person in the case and are in the lookout for a doctor who is absconding. The experts however believe that the organised crime like organ trafficking cannot take place without involvement of large number people most of whom could be doctors and other influential people. They insist that if the matter is investigated properly than only the actual ramifications of the case can be understood and exposed.
However, the incident has again exposed the willingness of the State Government to deal firmly with the private medical centres of Uttarakhand who apart from looting the people of the State have become audacious enough to initiate heinous crime of organ trafficking in the State.
The dilly dally attitude of the Government in enforcing the provisions of Clinical Establishment Act has also made things easier for these private hospitals.
The act though is implemented in the State is not properly enforced. Very few clinics and hospitals have so far registered themselves under the Clinical Establishment Act in the provisional State capital. There are more than 200 private hospitals and clinics in Dehradun district and lukewarm response of these establishments in registering themselves under the act clearly shows the Government’s will to implement the act in letter and spirit.
The General Secretary of the state unit of IMA, Dr DD Choudhury said that association is for the implementation of the act with some changes which are minor in nature. He said that it appears that some officials are deliberately incorporating useless and impractical things in the act. Dr Choudhary said that the IMA officials have held many meetings with the top Government officials but no progress has been made.
The IMA has objected to very high registration fees kept for various categories of the hospitals under the act. Its contention is that the registration fee is very high as compared with other States where the act is in place. Another point where the IMA has lodged its strong protest is the provision of the penalties imposed on the hospitals from the year 2002 if there is no provision of disposal of liquid waste. The IMA argues that since the act was notified in the year 2016 it is absurd to impose back dated penalties.
The IMA is also demanding setting up of an affiliate body from representation of Garhwal and Kumaun to monitor the act.
Under the clinical establishments like doctor’s clinic, private hospitals, diagnostic centres, homeopathic doctors and Ayush doctors to get them registered with the State council. The act seeks to regulate all clinical establishments with a view to prescribing the minimum standards of facilities and services provided by them.
Under the act the clinical establishments should keep a record of the all the patients and disclose and display the type of services they give. These establishments would be bound to disclose the number and qualification of the staff they are employing and display the rate lists clearly.