Vijayawada: In order to curb anomalies as well as ensure better healthcare services to the people in private hospitals, the Andhra Pradesh government intends to set up a 16-member state-level advisory committee with special chief secretary/principal secretary, health, as the ex-officio chairman. It will
have 10 nominated members from stakeholder associations like IMA, Consumer Forum and others in the state.
The state government has issued an order recently to constitute the panel.
It will have an additional secretary, law, deputy secretary, women
development and child welfare, and deputy secretary, social welfare, as
members and commissioner, health and family welfare, as the member-convener.
Among 10 nominated members, there will be two each will be deputed by Indian Medical Association and AP Nursing Homes Association, two eminent doctors, one from District Consumer Forum, a social activist, a health professional and a professional from women welfare. The term of office of all nominated members will be three years.
The YSRC government will implement the AP Allopathic Private Medical Care
Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2002 as amended twice in
2006 for the first time since the bifurcation of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, to ensure accountability in the functioning of all private establishments rendering health care and services.
The state government faced a tough time during the outbreak of the first
wave of Coronavirus pandemic as patients complained about a series of
irregularities including overcharging for Covid care at the private hospitals, and so is the case in the second wave of the pandemic as well.
Following a spate of complaints, the vigilance and enforcement authorities
have booked 89 private hospitals and penalised 66 hospitals to the tune of
Rs 9.90 crore by June 3, indicating the enormity of violation of norms.
There are nearly 8,825 private medical care establishments under 11 categories including hospitals, diagnostic labs and others in the state at present. The upcoming state-level panel has to regulate them all, from registration to day-to-day functioning to implementation of acts, health
schemes and directions from the state government. The panel also will inspect the establishments and recommend penal action including suspension and even their registration based on intensity of violation of norms.
State health authorities say that once the government order is notified in
the AP gazette, the state-level panel will be constituted and will become
operational soon.
Similarly, the state government intends to set up district-level advisory
committees shortly, with District Collector as its ex-officio chairman and
the district medical and health officer as member-convener. It will have 10
members including two each from IMA and AP Private Nursing Homes
Association, two each from reputed NGOs dealing with health care, two from
Zilla Samakhya and two from legal professionals and consumer organisations. The panels will have the same responsibilities as the state-level panel but at district level.
A senior health official said, “The state government is going to constitute
advisory panels at state and district levels to keep tabs on all private medical establishments to ensure better health care and services to the people in the state.”
