Palamu district administration has launched a major crackdown on unregistered private health centres in Daltonganj and Bishrampur, with FIRs filed against seven establishments and nine people named as accused over the past two days.
The action followed directions from Palamu deputy commissioner Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat. Medical officer in charge of Sadar Community Health Centre, Dr Seema Kumari, filed an FIR on September 29 against six alleged illegal healthcare establishments operating along Sadar Hospital Road in Daltonganj. Police said the case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Jharkhand Clinical Establishments Act. Seven people associated with the establishments have been named in the case.
Civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Srivastava said a surprise inspection conducted by the deputy commissioner on September 25 found that the facilities were operating without mandatory registration under the Jharkhand Clinical Establishments Act. A four-member health department team subsequently monitored the units before the administration initiated legal action.
The law requires clinical establishments to meet prescribed registration and operational requirements before providing medical services. The district administration’s action is therefore focused on whether the facilities had the required registration and whether services were being delivered with the necessary qualified personnel and equipment, officials said.
In a separate action on Wednesday, officials sealed Rahat Hospital in Bishrampur and filed an FIR against its management. According to the civil surgeon, the hospital was operating a labour room, ultrasound services and ECG facilities without the required specialists and technicians. Ultrasound and ECG equipment were seized during the raid. Two hospital operators were named in the FIR.
The authorities have described the operation as one of the biggest crackdowns on illegal private healthcare facilities in Palamu in recent years. The immediate action covers facilities in Daltonganj and Bishrampur, while the inspections were carried out by district health officials following the deputy commissioner’s intervention.
The enforcement also highlights the role of district administration and health authorities in regulating private healthcare providers outside the formal public hospital system. For residents, registration status, availability of qualified personnel and the safe operation of diagnostic equipment are central to whether a facility can lawfully provide care.
Local residents have also demanded action against alleged touts who they say divert patients from Medinirai Medical College and Hospital in Daltonganj to private hospitals. The allegation was raised in the context of the wider action, but the supplied report does not state that any tout has been booked or that a separate investigation has been completed.
The FIRs and sealing action now place the accused establishments and operators within the legal process. Further proceedings will depend on the investigation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Jharkhand Clinical Establishments Act.
