Private Health Regulation Bill

Punjab is set to monitor the functioning of private medical establishments more effectively by bringing in legislation, which will require private players to not only maintain clinical records and supply these to patients but also make and enforce a schedule of charges for all kinds of treatment.
The legislation, which will be called the Private Health Regulation Bill, aims to create a regulatory act which, while protecting the interests of patients, will put an end to unscrupulous activities by medical establishments.
While a cabinet subcommittee is still to decide on whether to follow the central act in this regard or make an act according to the needs of the state, Punjab Governance Reforms Commission Chairman Pramod Kumar told TNS that the commission was in favour of the state having its own act. He said the commission had proposed the Private Health Regulation Bill, which was at present was under consideration of the Health Department.
Meanwhile, as a first step, the proposed bill calls for the registration of all private medical establishments with the Deputy Commissioner in each district. The DC will act as the chairman of the proposed registering authority, which will also have the district health and family welfare officer and an office-bearer of the Indian Medical Association as its members.
The regulatory mechanism calls for making it mandatory for each private establishment to submit a schedule of charges for different kinds of treatment and services to the registering authority. These will also have to be displayed on the notice boards of the establishments. The private players will not be allowed to collect any money in excess of the charges displayed by them and will have to issue a proper receipt for the same.
The proposed bill will allow patients as well as the registering authority to have access to the clinical records. While patients or members of their families will be entitled to a copy of the clinical records, the same will also be made available to the district civil surgeon or any other officer empowered by him.
In a bid to do away with private practice by government doctors and make them accountable for the same, it will now be the duty of the private establishments to submit a list of government doctors and paramedical staff whose services are used by them. These services could be in the form of consultation or any other basis, including free of cost.
The steps, once in place, are expected to rationalise the fee of private medical establishments. Dr Pramod Kumar says Punjab continues to remain a state where in comparison to the national average, the share of people citing financial reasons for non-treatment is fairly high. He said untreated morbidity in the rural areas in the state was higher than in the urban areas, indicating a lack of access to health services.