Small hospitals in TG likely to be out of CEA’s purview

Hyderabad: The state government is likely to accept the demand of the small hospitals to exempt 20 bedded hospitals from the Clinical Establishment Act (CEA).

According to sources, the state government is examining the proposal to exempt the small hospitals from stringent norms of STPs and bio medical waste management. Sources said that the issue had come in a recent meeting of the state council meeting of the clinical establishment Act.

The officials had assured the small hospitals of examining their request. Several other states in the country have exempted the clinical establishment Act on the hospitals with less than 25 beds. The states like Bihar, Haryana and Gujarat have provided this facility to the small hospitals.

The Clinical Establishments Act mandates that hospitals must register, meet minimum standards for infrastructure, equipment, and staffing, display critical information like fees and signage, and maintain proper medical records.

Key rules include 24-hour electricity and potable water supply, accessibility for people with disabilities and the availability of clean public toilets. Hospitals must also comply with other specific laws, such as the PNDT Act, and are subject to regular inspections and penalties for non-compliance.

The Acts also mandates standards in infrastructure and accessibility, basic services and facilities for physically handicapped and all others. The Act prescribes strict safety measures like displaying hazardous signs like electrical hazards and radiation, the hospitals must have adequate staff, equipment and instruments which should be maintained in good working conditions, doctors must be registered with the state medical council, record keeping and reporting medical records etc.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had also represented to the state government to provide exemption to the small hospitals and clinics with 50 beds from the Clinical Establishment Act on the lines of Haryana and Bihar.

The IMA had also said that it was unjust to apply industrial norms to small clinics and wanted exemption with regard to STPs, Bio-medical waste (BMW) and pollution control board. The IMA had sought exemption from the norms for clinics and hospitals under 25 beds from stringent STP/BMW rules, or provide cost-effective standard STP models with subsidies.