When the Kerala government is all set to bring in the draft bill of the Kerala Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act-2013 in the ongoing assembly session for regulating the private hospitals, the Qualified Private Medical Practitioners Association (QPMPA), along with hospital managements have begun to raise objections to the move of the government alleging that it will adversely affect the small and medium size hospitals.

Urging the government to desist from presenting the draft bill in its present form, QPMPA said more healthy discussions are required before implementing the act in the existing manner. The association wanted the government to initiate consultative measures with the medical establishment managements and doctors-cum-hospital owners to modify and amend the act in order to support the small size health centres.

The association said once the act is implemented, it will escalate the cost for the treatments currently meted out to the poor patients by the private establishments. Further, the hospitals have to make facilities for ambulance services, car parking, emergency services and typical infrastructural facilities as specified in the act. This will be too difficult to be carried out as far as small hospitals are concerned. However, they agree that a control over hospitals is necessary to prevent the infiltration of quacks.

According to sources, the state government is seriously considering regulation of private hospitals by making registrations mandatory, and in view of that it is likely to present the draft bill of the state CEA in the current assembly session.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, Dr K Janardhanan, secretary of QPMPA-Kerala, said “We are not fully objecting the act, but opposing certain provisions thereof, which will increase the establishment cost of the hospitals and clinics and force us to raise the treatment costs. Further, it will be arduous for the small and medium size medical establishments to meet all the requirements prescribed in the act. Small healthcare centres will be forced to shut down”.

According to QPMPA, there are over 3000 small size clinical establishments in Kerala and they are giving quality healthcare to the people of the lower strata in the society, besides providing a source of income to a large number of people working in these institutions.

The association reminded the doctors that many of the private hospitals are owned by young medical graduates who are giving healthcare services to the poor patients on small rates which should not be stopped for the sake of an act.