Is the clinic you visit registered?

Doctors are not allowed to run clinics without registration. But the clinics in the city continue to flout this norm.

It is illegal to run a hospital or a clinic without first registering with Health Ministry and Bengaluru has around 15,000 private medical establishments that are running without registration. This essentially flouts the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act 2009.

Pic: Sankar C G

But the doctors who run these clinics seem to be unaware of the process. “I have not registered my clinic anywhere because I didn’t know about it. I don’t have any kind of certificates from medical waste management, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board or BBMP,” says Dr. Asha D. Patil of Santhi clinic in Kengeri.

KPME Act 2009 was formulated to monitor private medical establishments in Karnataka and ensure quality healthcare to people. According to this Act, all hospitals and clinics should be registered with the health ministry.

Registration is given to private establishments only if they maintain hygiene, proper ventilation, sanitation, medical records and biomedical waste disposal according to the standards mentioned in the Act.

“Every person desiring to establish, run, maintain or continue to run and maintain a private medical establishment should apply to the district health officer along with a fee for registration as per the rule,” said M. Thimmappa, District Health Officer.

“They also need to submit certificates of bio-medical waste management, BBMP trade license and pollution control board’s no objection certificate before it starts working,” he added.

There are 24 private medical hospitals in Kengeri out of which less than 10 hospitals follow the law, according to District Health Office records in Bangalore.

Thimmappa says though the applications were issued only a few were filed. “We have sold 7,780 application forms so far, out of which only 4,780 applications have been filled and returned,” said Thimmappa. “The clinics, hospitals and other medical establishments are increasing in Bangalore enormously but yet to receive application from them for registration. We informed them about the registration procedures through different channels but it was of no use,” he adds.

Instances of unqualified doctors

“We have caught nearly 200 similar cases in the previous year in Bangalore as they were functioning without registration and in some instances the doctors were fake,” says Thimmappa.

This article comes to Citizen Matters as part of an arrangement with Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media – IIJNM. Versions of this article originally appeared in The Oberver and http://thesoftcopy.in/

Comments:

  1. varkey says:

    Try registering any shop and establishment ! the bribe amounts that one has to fork out for a license is so huge that you have to cheat in business to make good these amounts ! Al this talk of issuing forms etc is all ‘bakwas’ they just need bucks to keep their seats ! So please research both ends before you publish your story.

  2. Maj Pankaj Rai (Retd) says:

    Running private clinics without them being registered under the law should not be permitted. Exemplary action should be taken by the regulatory authorities against all those who endanger the safety of citizens and undermine patient safety and patient rights.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Are building regulations followed in Bengaluru? A case study in Vijayanagar

One of the teams in a recent Bengaluru design jam explored the conformity of buildings to existing rules in Vijayanagar's residential areas.

The extension of 3rd Cross road in Vijayanagar is like any emerging neighbourhood in Bengaluru, with houses packed like boxes on either side. This led us to explore the role of regulations in shaping our buildings, streets and city at large. We presented our findings at the ‘Bengaluru Design Jam’, organised by organised by OpenCity, and held on July 6th. The participants collaborated to analyse and interpret different aspects of BBMP’s construction bye-laws.  The changes and growth of cities are often guided by economic activities. But the development of cities needs to be managed and regulated to ensure liveability. This…

Similar Story

Tackling domestic violence: Chennai’s resettlement sites to get one-stop centres

The TNUHDB has also established the first de-addiction centre in the Kannagi Nagar resettlement area in Chennai and more support centres are planned.

Evictions do not affect men and women equally. Often, women bear the brunt, be it because of unplanned evictions or domestic violence that results from loss of livelihood. With no government facilities in place to turn to for help, the women in Chennai's resettlement areas often suffer in silence. To address this issue, the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) will soon establish 'one-stop centres' in resettlement areas in the city. Meanwhile, a residential de-addiction centre has also been set up in Kannagi Nagar to tackle substance abuse, especially among young men and boys. Our earlier articles in this…