New Delhi: As many as 34 private nursing homes are functioning in the national capital without a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department, 21 have expanded bed capacity without approval, and 17 lack a valid licence from the government — these are the findings of the inspection conducted by the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) into private nursing homes.
The inspection was ordered on 30 May by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena, days after a massive fire engulfed Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar and claimed the lives of six infants.
Saxena had directed the chief secretary to conduct a “comprehensive” probe of all private nursing homes in Delhi to check “how many nursing homes are functioning without valid registration and whether those which have valid registration are complying with prescribed norms as provided under the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1953, and the Rules made thereunder”.
The ACB has now submitted an interim report to the Department of Vigilance, listing the 65 nursing homes it has inspected so far. ThePrint has accessed the list of inspected units and their violations. Some of the units have been found running with both expired licence and expanded bed capacity.
‘Officials responsible for Vivek Vihar tragedy’
Regarding the Vivek Vihar fire, the ACB has submitted that the nursing home was devoid of any fire extinguishers or emergency exits while also flagging the presence of more than 32 oxygen cylinders on the ground floor of the building in violation of rules.
The report states that the nursing home, run by the now arrested Dr Naveen Khichi, had been operating with 12 beds while having permission for only five.
ThePrint earlier reported that the nursing home’s licence had expired on 31 March. The ACB has submitted in its report that had the medical superintendent under the nursing home cell of the Delhi government’s Directorate General of Health Services acted according to the norms of the Act, the violations at the Vivek Vihar unit could have been identified in time.
“When a nursing home applies for a licence, the medical superintendent has to act in a month’s time to check if the unit meets the stipulated criteria, else the licence is deemed to be approved. The Vivek Vihar hospital had applied for a licence and officials should have at least sent a team for physical inspection, which would have allowed them to stop this tragedy,” an ACB officer told ThePrint, adding that prosecution sanction against the incumbent medical superintendent and his two predecessors has been sought from the competent authority.
“We have sought sanction from the vigilance department under the Prevention of Corruption Act to probe the role and collusion of these officials with nursing homes violating norms,” the officer further said.
‘Gross violations’
Officers in the ACB said that several of the nursing homes inspected were in “gross violation” of the norms established by the government for such medical units.
According to the list of nursing homes inspected, 17 have been operating without a valid licence. Of these, the licence of six had expired on 31 March last year, while that of four expired on 31 March this year.
As many as 21 of the 65 nursing homes have set up more beds compared to the limit prescribed by the government.
One such unit, KJIVF and Laproscopy Centre in Gagan Vihar, which has been operating on an expired licence since March last year, has set up as many as 24 beds when it was granted approval for just five.
“Several nursing homes were found in gross violations of norms. Many of them have been running without a licence or fire NOC or availability of fire extinguishing infrastructure all together. One hospital also had a mobile tower installed on the roof which is a most serious violation,” another ACB officer told ThePrint.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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