Delhi has 1,600 unregistered nursing homes: Survey

Sapna Dogra - New Delhi

When India is promoted as a hub for medical tourism, nothing can be more shocking than the fact that there are as many as 1,600 unregistered nursing homes in the capital lacking even the basic facilities. A recent survey carried out by a private company at the behest of the government, found that many unregistered small hospitals and nursing homes were operating in the garb of medical centres and polyclinics.

As per sources at the directorate of health services, the Delhi Nursing Registration Act, clearly states that nursing homes have to adhere to the registration guidelines to maintain at least the minimum medical standards for providing good medical services and quality treatment. As per the guidelines, the area requirement for patients in a nursing home is 120 square ft per patient and an extra 80 square ft for every additional patient. Similarly, the operation theatre at the nursing home should have an area of 180 sq ft with washable walls, crackless floor among others to maintain aseptic conditions.

Once the nursing home is issued a notice, it has to comply with the requirement or else it has to close shop. An official at the Nursing Homes Cell informs, of 1,600 nursing homes, 200 were found defunct.

After notices were issued to the unregistered nursing homes asking them to get registered, 800 (that supposedly fulfilled the criteria) applied for registration.

These days government officials are busy handling queries of the owners of nursing homes who wish to register again. As of now, there are about 559 registered nursing homes in the Capital, which include both the provisional and regular ones. Of these, 500 nursing homes run in residential areas while only 59 are situated on the earmarked land, informs Dr Ashok Rana of the Nursing Homes Cell.

To scrutinise nursing homes which have applied for registration, the government has decided to form a committee. The registration is valid for a year. However, talks are also going on about increasing the validity of registration to three years.

The nursing homes located in residential areas are also facing the wrath of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which has charged them an annual sum of 10 per cent of the total market value under the mixed land use to regularise them.

For this purpose, Delhi has been divided into five zones and nursing homes in residential areas of these zones are required to pay the requisite amount fixed for that particular zone. This move has irked doctors and many nursing home owners feel that it is wrong to club nursing homes in the category of banks and guest houses as they are doing a noble service. According to Dr S P Gupta, owner of the North Delhi Nursing Home, the DDA move is unfair because often the nursing homes treat the poor free of cost without getting any help from any organisation.

Suggests Dr Harish Kumar, who runs the Nulife Hospital and Maternity Centre, “Though it is good that DDA is regularising the nursing homes, the fee charged is very high. Instead of 10 per cent of the market value, it should be 1 per cent and it should not be a recurring fee. Also the clause of plot size of the nursing home (209 square metre) is arbitrary because sometimes small nursing homes are sufficient for the population they cater to.”

“Moreover, the DDA never plans or earmarks space for nursing homes while allotting plots, which results in coming up of nursing homes in an unplanned manner,” he opines.
— sapna.dogra@expressindia.com