IMA Telangana seeks Clinical Establishment Act exemption for Small Hospitals
Hyderabad: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Telangana, on Tuesday urged the state health
department to address several challenges faced by the medical community, especially
demanding exemption for hospitals with less than 50 beds from the provisions of
the Clinical Establishment Act (CEA).
In a letter to health
department officials, the IMA requested that hospitals with fewer than 50 beds
be exempted from the provisions of the Clinical Establishment Act (CEA), citing
the adverse impact the Act has had on smaller hospitals.
Talking to Medical
Dialogues, Dr V Ashok, IMA Telangana, stated, “We have been approaching DME,
Health secretary, Health Minister, and many other authorities with our demands. Clinical
Establishment Act has elaborate rules and regulations and adhering to all of
them becomes extremely difficult for small hospitals. Hence, as far as 50-bedded hospitals are concerned, either there should be some amendments in the rule
or they should be exempted from the rules.”
The association pointed
out that states like Haryana and Bihar have already provided such exemptions
and called for similar relief in Telangana. In addition, the IMA pushed for the
rationalisation of MBBS and postgraduate medical seats in light of the growing
number of medical colleges. The letter also appealed for an increase in
government job openings to address this issue. Further, the IMA demanded
the establishment of a single-window mechanism to streamline hospital
registrations, licence renewals, and related approvals. It also sought
exemption for medical establishments from the suspension of trade licence
enforcement and called for the creation of a dedicated health commission.
Expressing concern over
the increasing incidents of violence against healthcare workers, the IMA
highlighted the lack of adequate legal measures that safeguard doctors. The
association recommended an amendment to existing laws to raise the maximum
imprisonment term from three to seven years and make such offences
non-bailable, thereby strengthening protection for medical professionals. Additionally, the IMA
emphasised the need for training in both legal awareness and physical safety
for doctors and healthcare workers to ensure they are better equipped to handle
emergencies and threats in the workplace.