New Delhi, Jan 28: All private and public medical facilities as well as laboratories will have to go for compulsory registration
and come under a single regulatory framework with Centre on Thursday giving its go-ahead to a bill in this regard.
The Clinical Establishment Bill which was cleared by the Union Cabinet here on Thursday envisages all hospitals and labs as well as clinics run by individual doctors to be registered. They will be regulated and will have to follow Indian Public Health Standards in a bid to streamline and ensure quality.
The bill is expected to help in the crackdown on private diagnostic laboratories specially those engaged in illegal sex determination
tests through ultrasound.
“It is a path-breaking decision. It had been in the pipeline for long. It is upto the states to implement it. It would help in providing better services and regulation of services provided,” Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the meeting.
“It will hopefully ensure elimination of fraudulent medical practices,” she said. The main purpose of the law is to provide a legislative framework for the registration and regulation of clinical establishments in the country.
It also seeks to improve the quality of health services through the National Council for Standards by prescribing minimum standards of facilities and services which may be provided by them.
This would permit categorisation and classification of different clinical establishments depending on their geographical location as well as services offered.
It will also initiate the process for the creation of a national registry of clinical establishments existing in the country.
Despite many state legislatures having enacted laws for regulating health care providers, the current regulatory process for health care provides in India is inadequate or not responsive to ensure health care services of acceptable quality and prevent negligence.
Accordingly, a need has long been felt for a central legislation for ensuring uniform standards of facilities and services by the clinical establishments.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST