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Punjab mulls implementing Act to regulate pvt hospitals
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government is mulling the implementation of the Punjab Clinical Establishments Act-2020 in the state to regulate the functioning of private hospitals.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government is mulling the implementation of the Punjab Clinical Establishments Act-2020 in the state to regulate the functioning of private hospitals.
This is the second time that efforts are being made to implement the Act passed by the previous Congress government led by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh as that time it could not see the light of day due to various pulls and pressure related to regulating the functioning of private hospitals.
In 2020, the Act was passed, but the rules and regulations were not framed.
However, the present government has again started efforts to frame the rules and regulations amid reports of private hospitals charging hefty amounts from patients.
Though efforts are at the preliminary stage as the health department has only asked a team of senior officials of the health department to recommend rules, senior officials admitted that there is a strong feeling in the government that the Clinical Establishment Act was the need of the hour.
It is learnt that a team led by a senior doctor of the health department, Dr Gagan Grover, has been given the task of dealing with the issue.
In the previous Congress tenure as well, the health department was all set to implement the Act before the cabinet for approval focuses.
However, it was decided to withdraw the bill at the last moment, and it was put on the shelf.
The primary objective of the Act was to check overcharging by private hospitals, a key promise made by the Congress in its manifesto in the run-up to the 2017 assembly polls. However, the draft was silent on the issue and stated that all clinical establishments will itself fix bed charges and reveal post-diagnosis package rates besides strictly following procedures related to operation theatre, intensive care, ventilation, implants, consultation and tests.
“Any additional treatment or procedure shall not attract additional charges over and above the fixed rates and charges, including the package rates,” the Act had said.
Another mandate of the Act was to make it mandatory for private hospitals to provide a proper estimate for treatment before starting it and the final bill cannot exceed the amount beyond a certain percentage as prescribed by the government.
“We have started studying the Act and consultations are on to frame the rules and regulations. We will also consult private hospitals in these deliberations,” said a senior health department functionary.
Box: Key provisions of the Act
Private clinical establishments will have to display its services and fee.
Public grievance redressal mechanism for lodging any complaint regarding treatment, improper billing, deficiency in service and attending staff’s behaviour.
Clinical establishments have to provide treatment within the staff and facilities available, to provide first aid to all victims of road, rail and air accidents, explosions, natural disasters and calamities who come or are brought to the clinical establishment.
Every clinical establishment having more than 100 beds may try to set up a fair price medicine shop and a fair price diagnostic centre.
