CABINET FOR CONTROL ON CLINICS

New Delhi: In a bid to maintain a record of all the clinical establishments in the country and subsequently hold them accountable for their actions, the Cabinet gave its nod to the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill 2010. The term clinical establishment would cover hospitals, maternity home, nursing home and any similar facility with beds. The definition would also include a laboratory that carries out pathological, bacteriological and other diagnostic services.

Every clinical establishment will need to register in the states where the law is made mandatory. However, the law would be initially applicable only in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim and all the Union Territories. Since health as a subject figures in the concurrent list, other states are expected to adopt the legislation but cannot be forced to implement in the normal course of events. Although many states have enacted laws for regulating healthcare providers, the current regulatory process for hospitals, nursing homes, path labs is far from adequate and there are no uniform guidelines to hold these establishments accountable in case of negligence cases