Srinagar: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Srinagar has issued show-cause notices to 12 private hospitals and healthcare institutions over alleged non-compliance with directions concerning implementation of the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and their absence from a meeting called by health authorities.
The institutions have been asked to submit their explanations within two hours of receiving the notices, along with documentary proof of compliance, wherever applicable. The notices state that failure to respond within the stipulated period could lead to further action under the relevant rules without any additional notice.
The action follows a meeting convened by the CMO on September 21 to review the implementation of NAPS in private hospitals and nursing homes.
During the meeting, the institutions were directed to register and enrol under the apprenticeship programme, implement the scheme on a “mission mode” and engage apprentices equivalent to 15 per cent of their total workforce.
They were also asked to submit their updated enrolment status by September 22. The meeting communication had described the matter as “MOST URGENT” and warned of action in case of non-compliance.
The development has, however, raised concerns among private hospital owners, who have questioned the manner in which the apprenticeship scheme is being implemented in the healthcare sector.
Hospital representatives said NAPS, launched in 2015, provides apprenticeship training for a period of six to 12 months. They said under the scheme, 75% of the stipend is borne by the establishment, while the remaining 25 per cent is contributed by the Government of India.
The hospital owners claimed that most private hospitals were already registered under NAPS and had been uploading vacancies whenever required. They alleged that the latest directions were asking institutions to generate vacancies “on war footing”, which they said conflicted with what they view as the voluntary and need-based nature of the programme.
They also pointed to delays in payments under the Ayushman Bharat/SEHAT scheme, claiming that private hospitals empanelled under the programme had not received payments from the State Health Agency for the past eight to 10 months. According to the hospital owners, the pending liabilities have accumulated to several crores of rupees.
They said the financial pressure had already led some private healthcare institutions to reduce services and terminate employees, and questioned whether hospitals would be in a position to bear 75% of the stipend for additional apprentices.
