The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has tightened its noose around small and medium-sized hospital and nursing homes, it has been reported. If the PMC gets its way, at least 500 such establishments in the city could close down.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has tightened its noose around small and medium-sized hospital and nursing homes, it has been reported. If the PMC gets its way, at least 500 such establishments in the city could close down.
According to the Pune Mirror report, the municipal corporation’s health department has this year started demanding additional documentation and details to renew medical licences. Such detailed documentation is not even demanded by the Bombay Nursing Home Act.
“The health department’s demands include a proprietorship deed of the hospital, details of whether the nursing staff is registered with the Maharashtra Nursing Council and a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), which recently asked hospitals with 50 to 100 beds to have mandatory sewage and effluent treatment plants,” the report says, adding that the department has also demanded affidavits if the hospital is run by a couple and the land owned by only one of them. Along with this, valid licences of consulting doctors and building plans of hospitals are also on the list.
Following the report, the Indian Medical Association and Hospital Board Association have approached the PMC commissioner in this regard, claiming that the documents asked for are irrelevant and unnecessary and demanded that these demands be amended.
The IMA has taken umbrage to this, pointing out that none of these documents is listed under the Bombay Nursing Home Act, insinuating that PMC is getting ahead of itself.
Another demand is that of the water meter documentation since PMC claims many of the hospitals have been running with domestic water connections, rather than commercial.
The PMC, however, claims that they are right in issuing such guidelines, stating that there are hospitals that are running on private or residential properties, but paying commercial taxes.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Representational image")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}