CHENNAI: In a major public health administration initiative aimed at tightening hospital oversight and improving patient care delivery, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday decided to conduct quarterly quality audits in healthcare institutions and fast-track the clearance of nearly 8,000 pending licences for private hospitals across the State.
The decisions were taken at the State-level review meeting of Joint Directors of Health Services chaired by Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Dr KG Arunraj at the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services complex here.
Reviewing the functioning of government hospitals and field-level health services, the Minister instructed officials to ensure that patients visiting hospitals were treated with dignity and provided timely medical attention without delay. He emphasised that quality healthcare services should reach the public efficiently and uniformly across districts.
In a key policy shift, the government decided to increase the frequency of ‘Kayakalp’ quality certification inspections from once a year to once every three months. Officials said the move was intended to strengthen continuous monitoring of hygiene, infrastructure and service standards in hospitals and primary healthcare facilities.
The Minister also directed officials to clear the backlog of around 8,000 pending licences under the Clinical Establishments Act for private hospitals. As part of the streamlined process, temporary licences would be issued immediately after institutions upload mandatory documents online, while permanent approvals would follow detailed inspections.
During the meeting, directions were also issued to expedite the inquiry into alleged kidney-treatment irregularities, with the government stating that appropriate action would be initiated based on the findings of the investigation.
Health Secretary Darez Ahamed and senior officials of the department participated in the deliberations.