ESI hospital, seven diagnostic centres ran without licence

Didn't comply with other norms too; Atomic Energy Regulatory Board seals them

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), a Central government agency, has sealed eight diagnostic centres/hospitals in Bengaluru for non-compliance with regulatory requirements. The ESIC Hospital in Indiranagar, run by the Union government, is one of them.

AERB officials, who have been in Bengaluru since Tuesday, inspected 12 establishments, sealing eight of them. The establishments didn’t even have the necessary licence to operate, said Dr Arti Kulkarni, a scientific officer with the AERB. They didn’t comply with many other rules too.

Periodic quality assurance of X-ray equipment was not being carried out and personnel radiation monitoring badges were not provided to radiation workers. Then there was inappropriate layout and inadequate radiation shielding, non-availability of protective accessories and non-availability of qualified personnel for operation and radiation safety, she said.

Among other centres are Enhanced Health Care, 2nd Stage, Domlur; Vittal’s Medi Care, Indiranagar; Diacure Diagnostics and Research Centre Pvt Ltd, Indiranagar; Raghav’s Diagnostic and Research Centre, Jayanagar; Lucid Medical Diagnostics, Jayanagar; Rathna Diagnostics Centre, Jayanagar, and Health Nest, HSR Layout.

These centres would be permitted to function only after they get the necessary licence and comply with the norms.

The board had advertised in newspapers on April 8, 2015, that it would conduct random checks at institutes across the country and that norms must be followed. The AERB was set up to ensure the radiation safety of medical diagnostic installations across the country by issuing licence for operation after verifying the compliance with the regulatory requirements such as appropriate layout and shielding, qualified personnel, employment of radiation safety officer, radiation protection accessories and quality assurance of X-ray equipment.