TAKING COGNIZANCE of the non-cooperative approach of nursing homes in providing the number of tubectomy and vasectomy operations, the Health Department has decided to deal firmly with private hospitals in the city. The move comes close on the heels of a meeting of Health Department officials with the District Magistrate. Moreover, if nursing homes do not cooperate with the Health Department by March 14, stringent action would be taken and even licenses of nursing homes would be cancelled for non-cooperating with the National Family Planning programme.
Notably, the National Family Planning programme, despite the all-out effort of the Health Department, was lagging far behind in achieving target in the city.
The reluctance of nursing homes to provide details about family planning operations to the Health Department resulted in dismal number of vasectomy operations in the city.
Similarly, private hospitals were also not making available the figure of tubectomy operations being done to health officials.
A source in the Health Department, who attended today’s meeting with the District Magistrate, said, “Private hospital owners discreetly perform sterilization operations for money. Whenever we asked them the names of the persons they do not cooperate with us.” He also said that it was the only way to tame private hospitals and compel them to cooperate with the national Family Planning programme.
Health officials would write letters to the president of Indian Medical Association city branch and the city unit of the Nursing Homes Association asking them to ensure that nursing home owners report every case related to family planning to the office of the chief medical officer.
{{/usCountry}}Health officials would write letters to the president of Indian Medical Association city branch and the city unit of the Nursing Homes Association asking them to ensure that nursing home owners report every case related to family planning to the office of the chief medical officer.
{{/usCountry}}It would be the responsibility of the associations to ensure that all its members would provide family planning details to the Health Department.
President of Nursing Homes’ Association Dr Awadh Dubey said, “Family planning is an issue of national interest and we will be fortunate to participate in it.”
“But the irony is that nursing home owners only make verbal assertions when it comes to co-operation, for them money matters most,” ridiculed a senior administrative official of the Health Department.
Taking a tough stance towards nursing homes, chief medical officer Dr VS Singh told HT, “If by Holi, nursing homes owners do not make available data on sterilization operations in their hospitals then the Health Department would not renew their registration.”