AP To Tighten Norms for Private Ayush Hospitals

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is set to introduce new norms for the functioning of private AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy, unani, siddha, and homoeopathy) hospitals to ensure quality and safe healthcare services.

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Wednesday reviewed the functioning of private institutions offering AYUSH services with senior officials and directed them to invite suggestions from experts, intellectuals and the public before finalising the draft rules.

Under the proposed norms, all private AYUSH hospitals, polyclinics, nursing homes and other healthcare establishments will have to register with the government. The institutions will be classified into seven categories based on the nature of healthcare services offered and bed strength.

According to the draft rules, healthcare establishments must apply through the Clinical Establishments web portal to obtain a temporary registration valid for 90 days. A team of two medical experts will inspect the facility within 10 days of receiving the application to assess infrastructure, medical equipment, availability of doctors and nursing staff, biomedical waste management and emergency care facilities.

Establishments complying with the prescribed standards will be granted permanent registration valid for five years.

The draft rules also require all registered institutions to prominently display details of healthcare services, prescribed charges, and the names and registration numbers of doctors in Telugu and English. They must submit their schedule of fees to the registration authority every year before June 1.

AYUSH director Ronanki Gopala Krishna appealed to the public to submit their suggestions and feedback on the draft rules through the websites ayush.ap.gov.in and commr-apayush@ap.gov.in.