Chennai: Inspections of government hospitals to determine cleanliness rankings will now be conducted quarterly instead of annually, Health Minister K G Arun Raj announced on Thursday. The decision came after he chaired a review meeting with joint directors of medical services to assess the functioning of district headquarters hospitals and other government medical institutions across the state.
Minister's Directions for Improved Healthcare
Speaking to reporters, the minister said that joint directors supervise several healthcare institutions, including government medical college hospitals, primary health centres, and sub-district hospitals. “During the meeting, we exchanged views on the vision, public expectations, and demands concerning health centres, and steps will be taken accordingly. The government is focused on improving facilities at government hospitals across the state to meet public demand,” Arun Raj said.
The minister instructed officials to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare services that benefit the public on a large scale. He emphasised that patients visiting hospitals should be treated with respect and provided with the required services promptly.
Kayakalp Certification and Pending Licences
“Officials were directed to conduct inspections for the ‘Kayakalp’ quality certification once in three months and issue certificates accordingly,” Arun Raj added. As many as 8,000 applications for Clinical Establishments Act licences from private hospitals are pending. Officials have been instructed to issue temporary certificates immediately after the required details are uploaded online, followed by permanent certificates after a comprehensive inspection process. The health department is also taking steps to facilitate online applications to issue licences without delay.
Inquiry into Kidney Transplant Irregularities
The health minister also directed officials to expedite the inquiry into alleged kidney transplant irregularities and said that appropriate action would be taken.
