KATHMANDU, AUGUST 8

The 50th executive meeting of Kathmandu Metropolitan City held earlier this week has approved Health Institution Registration, Renewal and Upgradation Procedure-2020, which empowers the metropolis to regulate a hospital and polyclinic with capacity of up to 25 beds.

As per the procedure, KMC reserves the right to grant permission to register, renew and upgrade such hospitals and health institutions operating within its jurisdiction, besides carrying out their regulation and monitoring. The metropolis said the procedure was issued by exercising the powers conferred by the Local Government Operation Act-2017.

“The act allows local levels to manage hospitals and health facilities with capacity of maximum 25 beds and we will execute our duties and responsibilities accordingly,” Ishworman Dangol, KMC spokesperson, said. Earlier, the concerned district public health office had exercised the powers with respect to registration, renewal and upgradation of hospitals and health facilities. According to KMC, more than 1,000 health facilities have been registered inside the metropolis. It is estimated that equal number of health institutions have yet to enter into the registration process.

“Approval of the procedure has paved the way for the local government of Kathmandu to regulate government, private, community, non-governmental and cooperative health facilities to provide quality medical services to people,” Basanta Acharya, chief of Law Division at JMC, said.

The procedure incorporates the standards of health services, code of ethics of doctors and health workers, and process of issuance and renewal of registration certificates. It has made it mandatory for hospitals, ayurveda facilities, diagnostic centres and nursing homes to obtain licence for their establishment, service expansion and upgradation. “If any health facility is operated without obtaining a licence, KMC may shut down it by imposing the prescribed fine besides rendering the concerned operator(s) disqualified to run any hospital or health institution in future,” reads the procedure.

The licensed hospital or health institution can provide emergency, out-patient department, inpatient department and lab and radio imaging services.

It will also be allowed to operate pharmacy, intensive care, blood transfusion, physiotherapy, surgical and promotional and preventive services.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 9, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.