After a brief lull, the State health department has intensified action against private clinics and hospitals not registered under the Clinical Establishments Act. On Wednesday, a team of health department had sealed four clinics, not registered under the act. The team led by the additional chief medical officer (ACMO), Dr K K Singh had raided Public Health Care, Ruhani Dawakhana, Madras Clinic and Komal Ortho Treatment Centre located in Banjarawala area of Dehradun and sealed them. The chief medical officer (CMO) of Dehradun, Dr S K Gupta, said that the action against the clinics, not registered under the Clinical Establishments Act, would continue in the coming days. He further said that on Thursday, the health department team has inspected a prominent hospital of the State to check it regarding the grant of permanent registration.
It is worth mentioning here that as ordered by the Uttarakhand High Court, the state health department had started sealing the clinics not registered under the Clinical Establishments Act in February. Infuriated, IMA, the association of private medical practitioners, had given a call of state-wide shutdown of the private clinics.
They had pitched for the modified version of the clinical establishment Act being implemented in the State. IMA had submitted an exhaustive draft document of the Uttarakhand Healthcare Establishments Act in December last year which, according to it, should replace Clinical Establishments Act. IMA is against the Act being enforced in its present State.
It has suggested that Uttarakhand Government should follow the Haryana model of the Act where all clinical establishments having less than 50 beds are exempted from the purview of the stringent provisions of the Act. It also wants reduction in registration charges. However, an unrelenting stance of the Government on the Act had forced IMA to suspend its strike. The State Government had, however, set up a committee to look into the demands of the private clinics.