Major crackdown on illegal clinics, labs across Jammu province

Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 16: In a provincial level crackdown on illegal running private clinical labs, nursing homes and diagnostic centres, the Health Department today directed Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of all districts of Jammu province to identify such establishments and take necessary action against them.
In an order issued today, DHS Jammu, Dr Gurjeet Singh Soodan, passed directions to all CMOs of Jammu province to close down all illegally running Nursing Homes and Clinical establishments in their districts and submit a detailed report to his office within two days.
“You are directed to take necessary action and close down all those Nursing Homes and Clinical Establishments running illegally in your respective districts without valid registration of the Supervising Authority under Nursing Homes & Clinical Establishment (Registration & Licensing) Act 1963 and send a detailed report along with your action taken within two days positively to proceed further in the matter”, the order issued by Director Health Services, Jammu read.
The order has been issued to CMOs of all districts of Jammu province including, Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur.
While passing directions, the DHS also gave reference to the news item published in August 15 edition of this paper wherein it was exclusively highlighted that many illegal Nursing Homes and Clinical labs are being operated in Poonch and Rajouri districts by untrained persons under the nose of the authorities, thereby putting the lives of patients in danger.
Meanwhile, acting tough on the illegally running nursing homes/dental clinics/diagnostic laboratories, the district administrations of Rajouri and Poonch today sealed about 11 diagnostic labs/dental clinics, four in Rajouri and seven in Poonch district, for violating various rules.
Giving information about the drive in Poonch district, CMO Poonch, Dr Mumtaz Bhatti, said that a team of Block Medical Officer Mendhar, Dr Parvaiz Ahmed Khan along with Taraf Hussain Shah, Naib Tehsildar, Mendhar sealed four private dental clinics and three private diagnostic laboratories running without any registration and not adhering to biomedical waste norms. Moreover, many diagnostic labs were also not displaying any rate list of various procedure and tests, he further informed.
He said that the dental clinics sealed are Star Dental Clinic (Mendhar), Advance Dental Health Care, Alshifa Dental Clinic (Mendhar) and Star One Dental Clinic while the private laboratories sealed are V Care Diagnostic Laboratory, Micron Clinical Laboratory and Public Diagnostic Laboratory. “Such drives will continue in future also and no private diagnostic laboratory/dental clinic will be allowed to function till it fulfill all norms”, he added.
In a similar drive conducted today in Rajouri district, a joint team of officials from Revenue and Health Departments under supervision of CMO Rajouri, Dr Suresh Gupta, raided 17 diagnostic/clinical labs at Rajouri town and Manjakote area.
Dr Gupta told EXCELSIOR that during the day-long drive, about 17 clinical establishments were inspected out of which 4 clinic labs namely Aftar Diagnostic Lab (Kheora), Swastik Clinical Lab (Kheora), Sharma Clinical Lab and Al -Shafa Diagnostic Centre (Manjakote) were sealed immediately and action under rules was initiated as those were found running against norms under Nursing Homes and Clinical Establishment Act.

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