After dilly dallying on the issue for a long time, the Union health ministry is all set to kick start the process of provisional registration of clinical establishments in the country. The ministry has almost finalized the format for provisional registration of clinical establishments as part of the Clinical Establishments Registration and Regulation Bill which is expected to be tabled in Parliament in the next session.

By the time the Bill is tabled in Parliament, the ministry wanted to collect a database of clinical establishments spread across every nook and corner of the country. For this purpose, the ministry is on the verge of finalizing a Format for provisional registration of clinical institutions. Once the format is finalized, the ministry will ask the clinical establishments to come forward voluntarily to register their establishment.

The ministry had earlier released a draft Format for provisional registration of clinical institutions, seeking comments and suggestions from the stakeholders before finalising the format. The sources said that the ministry had received adequate feedback from the stakeholders and experts. The ministry is now finalizing the format after incorporating the suggestions.

The format was developed by the National Council of Standards under the health ministry. The registration format seeks information regarding the profile of the clinical establishment, infrastructure, facilities offered, human resources among other aspects. As per the Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2007 clinical establishment would include hospitals, maternity home, nursing home, dispensary, clinics etc. and similar facilities with beds that offer diagnosis, treatment or care for illness or injury or pregnancy in any recognised system of medicine (allopathy, yoga, naturopathy, ayurveda, homoeopathy, siddha and unani).

It also includes any laboratory (either established as independent entity or part of an establishment) which offers pathological, bacteriological, genetic, radiological, chemical, biological and other diagnostic or investigative services. Furthermore, the establishment can be owned by the government or department of the government, a Trust (public or private), a corporation (including a cooperative society), a local authority and a single doctor establishment.

The Clinical Establishments Registration and Regulation Bill, 2007 is being enacted by the government as a comprehensive legislative framework for the registration and regulation of clinical establishments in the country. It is aimed to provide among others minimum standards for facilities and services with a view to standardizing health care services and for achieving improvement of public health.