Clinical Establishment Act anti-doctor: IMA

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 14

The Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act has evoked a poor response in the country so far.

The Act was passed by the Central Government in 2010 that the Haryana Government intends to implement it in the state.

According to the Act, individuals practising in allopathic, Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) and ‘Sowa-Rigpa’ of the Tibetan system of medicine are required to enrol themselves with the National Council for Clinical Establishment (NCCL).

As per the official records, 13,781 medical professionals from 10 states and Union Territories have registered themselves with the NCCL. Of the total, 11,488 are allopaths and 2,975 are Ayurveda practitioners.

The Act mandates registration of all private medical establishments, charts out the obligations like maintaining records, prescribes minimum standards of facilities and services provided in the private medical establishment and mandates displaying rates of various procedures.

The Act has provisions to include price caps for medical treatments and procedures and to strengthen grievance redressal systems.

According to the NCCL database, the hill state of Himachal Pradesh has the highest number of medical professionals of 5,658 registered with it.

Similarly, 4,069 doctors are registered in Jharkhand, whereas 2,608 professionals from Assam find mention in the NCCL data.

Jharkhand has 3,939 allopath practitioners in the national registry, whereas Himachal Pradesh with 3,755 allopaths stands second among 10 states.

Of the total 437 medical professionals from Chandigarh registered in NCCL data, 405 are allopaths.

However, the Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that has announced to completely suspend medical services in all private hospitals and clinics across the state on Friday, stating the Central Act was ‘oppressive’.

“We are not opposed to the mechanism of professional regulation or fixing accountability, but the Haryana Government is trying to roll out a law which is draconian in nature. No state or UT is able to implement it as the Act is being opposed everywhere,” said the IMA Haryana president Dr AP Setia.

He said the Central Act was anti-doctor and the IMA had already registered strong objections to its various provisions.

“In 2014, the state government had brought its own Act and it was opposed by the IMA on various grounds. Following discussions, the state government agreed to bring amendments to the Haryana Act. But the state government suddenly took a U-turn and announced to implement the Central Act through an Ordinance,” said Setia.

As the government had miserably failed to build a medical infrastructure, the private sector was catering to healthcare demands of more than 80 per cent population of the state, he said.

“Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, IMA members in Haryana have voluntarily attended more than 21,000 expecting mothers in the last 11 months. We are also extending support to the crumbled government healthcare on various occasions but the government is adopting a step-motherly treatment towards the private medical fraternity,” said Setia.