CAG raps Odisha government over health institutions

Bhubaneswar, March 31: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped the Odisha government for failing to regulate private clinical establishments (CEs) and allowing them to violate various norms, a report said on Tuesday.  The CAG report on ‘General and social sector for the year ended March 2014’ tabled in the assembly on Tuesday said the government has failed to provide minimum standards for infrastructure, services and quality for health institutions. It found that out of 34 CEs, while 27 were operating with valid licences, seven CEs were operating despite expiry of their licences between September 2008 and August 2013. “Out of 1,511 CEs registered in the state with the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), registration/licence of 976 CEs expired between May 1996 and November 2013 and the same were not renewed as of August 2014,” said the report. In four districts, registration of 377 (54 percent), out of 700 private CEs, expired between September 1996 and November 2013, it said. Out of 34 test checked functiol private CEs, registration of nine CEs expired 15 to 83 months ago. (IANS)