‘Never-ending run for permissions’: IMA Telangana urges single-window reform in healthcare sector

At the inauguration of a blood bank at the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Telangana building on Sunday (October 5), the association’s leadership highlighted the growing hurdles faced by doctors in setting up and running medical establishments in the State. From multiple licensing requirements to stringent compliance norms, the doctors urged the government to establish a single-window system to ease what they termed a ‘never-ending run for permissions’.

IMA Telangana president Dr. Dwarakanatha Reddy, while presenting a memorandum to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, said doctors were struggling with excessive paperwork and overlapping regulatory processes. “We are asking for a single-window system,” he said adding that even obtaining registration for a small clinic required submitting several licences to multiple departments.

Dr. Reddy said the government must simplify the procedures to support those running individual or family-owned clinics. He added that doctors were also facing difficulties related to trade licences, despite a High Court ruling that medical practice did not come under the purview of trade. “Hospitals and clinics are being treated as commercial establishments. The court has already clarified this, yet local authorities continue to insist on trade licences,” he said.

Hyderabad District and Medical Health Officer (DMHO), Dr. Venkati, said the Clinical Establishments Act in its current form was creating confusion and burdening small practitioners as they need at least 20 certificates to get permission for a clinic or hospital,” he said.

Pointing to the financial strain on smaller establishments, he said the high cost of compliance was pushing patients towards corporate hospitals, where treatment could cost over ₹1 lakh a day. “A small clinic provides affordable care to the poor. If it closes, patients will have nowhere to go,” he cautioned.

Governor Jishnu Dev Varma in his address, acknowledged the concerns raised by the association and assured that they would be forwarded to the government for appropriate action. The Governor also reiterated that violence against doctors was lamentable and pledged that such incidents would be brought to the attention of authorities for prompt and positive action.