Guidelines and Eligibility Requirements to open a clinic

With the scarcity of hospitals and clinics still present in India, the prospect of opening a clinic or a hospital in India sounds great.

However, to turn this notion into a reality, you need to put in a lot of hard work – acquire several documents/certifications from the central government and state ministries.

To smoothen out the long-drawn-out approval process and make it a bit easier – we have compiled a list of the guidelines and requirements you will need to meet to open a hospital or a clinic.

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Cost Requirements

Before starting with the process of acquiring certifications, you need to set up a large fund to meet the cost requirements for opening a clinic/hospital.

The cost for opening a clinic starts from five lakhs, and it is more than one crore for opening a hospital. This includes the cost of government approval, rooms, medical equipment, medicines, hospital/clinic building, etc.

Infrastructure Requirements

For infrastructure, a doctor’s clinic will require a consultation room of at least 100 square feet.

But, the space needs can change depending on the services you provide. Keep in mind – the space needed will increase with each specialty you add and be governed by the relevant rules.

Other than this, you will require the following approvals for your clinic or hospital:

Certificate of completion
Certificate for occupancy
A copy of Fire NOC – provided the building of the hospital/clinic is taller than 15 meters.
A rent agreement – provided you rent the space for your clinic/hospital

Just like acquiring and keeping the above documents safe can prove cumbersome, so can running a clinic/hospital. To counter this – you can register on HealthPlix, a clinic management software in India.

Licensing Requirements

According to the criteria set by Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2017 – a registration certificate is a must for opening a single doctor-manned clinic or a large multi-specialty hospital.

Besides this, you will also need to acquire registration of your hospital/clinic under:

Companies Act, 2013
Societies Registration Act, 2001

Drug Licensing Requirements

In case you wish to have a pharmacy attached to your clinic/hospital, you will require:

A retail license from the Drug Controller (Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940)
Permission from the District Collector to sell medication in the form of pills or through injections

Once you have opened the clinic/hospital, it can be difficult to keep track of every patient’s prescriptive medications physically. Here, HealthPlix, top clinic management software, can help you by keeping a digital record of prescriptions.

Miscellaneous Permit Requirements

Besides the above licenses, you will also need to acquire:

A permit from the state government for installing incinerators and drainage systems to dispose of the biomedical and sewage waste
Consent from the local authorities to have adequate provision of water and electricity supply
Fire safety and health license from the state’s Health Ministry
Vehicle registration from the Trasport department of the state for ambulances
A permit from the Department of FSSAI for cooking food in the hospital’s kitchen

Medical Employees’ Related Requirements

The employees you will hire must possess the following registrations:

For doctors and other specialists – registration from State Medical Council
For pharmacists – registration by the Pharmacy Board
For nurses – registration from the Nursing Council
For dentists – registration by the Dental Council
For psychologists – registration from the Rehabilitation Council of India

Keeping a record of all this registration information can feel arduous, but so can keeping a record of different patients’ medical histories after establishing a clinic/hospital.

For managing patients’ information hassle-freely, you can take the help of HealthPlix, a clinic management software for doctors.

The End Note

With an increase in population growth and paucity of clinics/hospitals, establishing a hospital/clinic – though a commendable initiative – requires a lot of effort, funds, completing lengthy paperwork, acquiring different licenses from local authorities, and dedication towards meticulously meeting all the eligibility requirements.

Although you can’t change anything about the eligibility requirements, you can, however, opt to make your journey a smooth sail post opening a clinic/hospital. You can do this by registering on HealthPlix, a clinic management software famous for helping over 10,000 doctors provide top-notch patient care facilities.