The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) takes a stern action against hospitals without Building Use (BU) and Fire NOC permissions. On Monday, the AMC revoked Form C of 42 hospitals across Ahmedabad for failing to provide or have the right documentation for BU permission and fire NOC. The strict action has been taken under an ongoing petition in the Supreme Court.
Patients undergoing treatment at all 42 hospitals in which the procedure has been performed have been ordered to be shifted within seven days. Not only that, it is now forbidden to admit a single new patient.
The birth and death department of AMC registers hospitals and the nursing homes under Sec 5 of The Bombay Nursing Homes Registration Act 1949 and issues a C form to the hospital. Now, these forms will be cancelled and the hospital/nursing home will be shut down.
On July 8, the State government had issued a circular exempting hospitals without BU without permission from compliance till March 31, 2022. The Supreme Court noticed that the hospitals of Gujarat were permitted to acquire BU permission by March 2022 under the July 8 notification of the state government. The apex court then pointed out that there were hospitals which did not have BU permission for 38 years and directed the state government to make them comply. It also emphasised that due to lack of fire safety and compliance, frequent cases of fire accidents are occurring and these irregularities in BU and fire permission are detrimental to public health.
Notably, over 250 hospitals and nursing homes have been operating without fire NOC and BU permission in Ahmedabad. AMC had earlier sealed 10 schools in June for not having BU permission. The corporation sealed a total of 259 units of 10 schools.
