IMA Telangana urges tougher law to curb attacks on doctors

Seeks State government’s intervention to redress several pressing issues impacting the medical community

Hyderabad:The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Telangana chapter, on Tuesday urged the State government’s intervention to redress several pressing issues impacting the medical community, especially private practitioners, small and medium healthcare establishments.

Raising outstanding issues related to medical community pending for a long time, the IMA, TS chapter in a letter addressed to Principal Secretary, Health, Dr Christina Z Chongthu, urged the State government to amend the current law to increase imprisonment of persons involved in violence against doctors, from 3 years to 7 years, making it a non bailable offence, and ensure direct FIR registration with preliminary expert review.

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There is a need for the government to exempt small healthcare facilities, like nursing homes with less than 50 beds, from the provisions of the Clinical Establishment Act (CEA).

At present, doctors interested in establishing their own healthcare facilities are caught in a cycle of seeking multiple NOCs (No Objection Certificates) and harassment by authorities including Fire, GHMC and PCB. There is a need for to establish Single Window Clearance for Registrations and Renewals for hospital registrations, and licenses, IMA said.

Other issues raised included addressing the issue of quackery, trade license harassment in the form of unwarranted imposition of trade license norms etc.