Tamil Nadu to conduct quarterly cleanliness rankings for govt hospitals: Arun Raj

Chennai: Inspections of govt hospitals to determine cleanliness rankings will be conducted quarterly, instead of annually, health minister K G Arun Raj said on Thursday, after chairing a review meeting with joint directors of medical services to assess the functioning of district headquarters hospitals and other govt medical institutions across the state.

Speaking to reporters, the minister said the joint directors supervise several healthcare institutions, including govt 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 govt is focused on improving facilities at govt 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.

“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, and officials are 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.

The health minister also directed officials to expedite inquiry into the alleged kidney transplant irregularities and said that appropriate action would be taken.