Violation of Nursing Home Act: PMC issues Show Cause notice to 7 hospitals

Pune: As part of its month-long comprehensive inspection drive, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health department has recently issued show-cause notices to seven private hospitals in the city for failing to meet the standard healthcare norms. The hospitals have been given a 30-day deadline to comply with the norms to avoid having their licenses cancelled.

The hospitals, situated in areas such as Sinhagad Road, Narhe, Anand Nagar, Hingne Khurd, and others, were found to violate healthcare regulations specified in the Bombay Nursing Home Registration Act, 1949, and the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration (Amendment) Rules, 2021.

Also read- PMC launches inspection drive for 850 Nursing Homes, Private Hospitals to ensure compliance

Under the Bombay Nursing Homes Registration Act, of 1949, it is mandatory for all nursing homes in Maharashtra to be registered and that the registration be renewed annually. Similarly, the Maharashtra Nursing Homes (Amendment) Rules, 2021 amended the Bombay Nursing Home Registration Act, 1949. The rules aim to improve patient care and facility standards. 

However, these hospitals reportedly flouted many mandatory rules including proper hospital registration, adequate staffing of doctors and nurses, proper display of treatment rate sheets in public areas, valid no-objection fire certificates and proper disposal of biomedical waste.

In response, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health department has issued a warning, stating that their licenses will be cancelled if they do not comply with the norms required under the acts within a month.

These seven private hospitals were identified during an inspection of 135 private hospitals in a week as part of the Pune Municipal Corporation's larger objective to inspect 850 nursing homes and hospitals across the city within a month. These hospitals which have been inspected also included allopathy, AYUSH, Unani, and Naturopathy.

Speaking to Free Press Journal, Assistant Health Officer Suryakant Deokar said, "We have issued show cause notices to seven hospitals, and if they fail to adhere to the norms within a month, we will take action such as cancelling licenses and imposing fines."   

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) initiated a comprehensive inspection drive across private hospitals and nursing homes in the city following directives from the state public health department.  

The extensive drive aims to inspect a total of 850 nursing homes and hospitals across Pune to ensure compliance with the Bombay Nursing Home Registration Act of 1949 and the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration (Amendment) Rules, of 2021, during the month-long campaign.   

Also read- Show Cause notice issued to Pune Private Hospital for violation of Nursing Home Act