BALASORE: Even as the State Government promises safe health care for people, there are as many as 24 clinical establishments in Balasore district that are functioning illegally under the nose of health authorities.After the district administration detected many pathological labs functioning sans licence, nursing homes, clinics and private hospitals have been found running without valid registration. While none seems to be serious about this, it is the patients who continue to suffer.An investigation revealed that of the 24 clinical establishments operating in Balasore town and Jaleswar, only three have a valid licence. According to the documents of Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) available with this paper, establishments like Durga Nursing Home and Research Centre, Jyoti Hospital, Health Point at Gopalgaon, Tarini Nursing Home, Kausalya Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, which have more than 20 beds, are running without valid registration.Only three establishments - Sri Ram Hospital at Suelpur, Indira Nursing Home along F M College Road and Maa Nursing Home at Bhaskarganj have licence till 2012.Even some of the clinics and nursing homes are functioning without a valid licence since 2002. As per the gazette notification, the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) - the inspection authority - should make surprise visits to the clinical establishments at least twice a year. However, neither any health official has made supervision visits, nor any action taken.While CDMO S Iqbaluddin Ahmed said some of the establishments had applied for renewal of their licence which have been pending with the department, DMET Director Prasanna Kumar Dash denied it. “Earlier we were asking the establishments to comply if they lack anything to obtain a licence. But as per a recent High Court ruling, if they have not obtained registration certificate means they are running illegally,” he said.Dash said the district collectors and CDMOs had been empowered to seal illegal clinical establishments for not following the norms of Clinical Establishment (Control and Regulation) Rule, 1994. R K Jatania of Health Point said he had applied for renewal of the registration in 2007 which is yet to be done. “The department then had sought to comply with certain facts which we did. Still we did not get the renewal licence. Now, they have asked us to comply again with a late fee,” he said.
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