Setting Up A Hospital

Hospitals are also an essential part of health system development. Currently, external pressures, health systems shortcomings and hospital sector deficiencies are driving a new vision for hospitals in many parts of the world. In this vision, they have a key role to play to support other healthcare providers and for community outreach and home-based services and are essential in a well-functioning referral network.

Hospitals matter to people and often mark central points in their lives. They also matter to health systems by being instrumental for care coordination and integration. They often provide a setting for education of doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals and are a critical base for clinical research.

Health care is the basic need and right of every citizen of our country. Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, medical camps etc form the platform for this healthcare delivery, assisted by doctors, nurses and other medical staff. This is far below the world average of 30 hospitals per 10,000 population.

Setting up a hospital requires skills that are not taught in medical schools – devising a sustainable business plan, obtaining necessary finances, being more visible to potential patient, and the sorts. The Process is undoubtedly long-drawn and, without prior know-how, can be a series of trials and errors before bearing fruit. Following are the pointers one needs to keep in mind and set in place for setting up a private hospital:

Location of the hospital

This has to be chosen well, because if there are already some hospitals in the locality, then it will be difficult to pool in patients. Also, the hospital needs to be set up in an area which has good transportation facility or is close to a railway station. Considering the cost of real estate, a huge financial investment is required.

Facilities your hospital offers

One has to be sure what set-up is planned and what infrastructure is required. A paediatric, orthopaedic, gynaecologic, oncology, pathology, imaging, etc facility in the hospital all require different facilities.

Permits for your hospital

1. Land and construction

Land allotted for agriculture cannot be used. To start building the hospital wing, several permissions from local authorities need to be taken. Numerous documents need to be approved, like land deed, architect’s plan, etc.

An occupation certificate is obtained after clearing all formalities.

2. Electricity and water

As per the requirements of the hospital, permission has to be taken from the local governing body to obtain electric meters and water supply. Water requirement has to be calculated, which for any setup is approx. 100 litres per day.

3. Sewage

Proper disposal of waste requires a well-planned sewage and drainage system, which is done after permission is sought from the local board.

4. Biomedical waste

This is very vital aspect and permission of Municipal Corporation/ Government is required for installing incinerators required to dispose of medical waste and body parts.

5. Fire and Health Licence

A Fire licence is necessary to prove that the hospital will not cause any damage or loss of life and needs to be procured from the local municipal council.  Procuring a health licence is vital to provide health care to the patients.

Planning your hospital infrastructure

Take care of all these:

• Doctors, their qualifications and registration numbers recorded
• Nurses and working shifts discussed and set
• Medical equipment and instruments purchased
• Computers and other hardware devices set up

Engineers and staff required for maintenance, plumbing, medical gas pipelines, air conditioning, etc. set

Multiple medical laws and ethics must be followed at every step. A set of guide lines and eligibility criteria have been put forth by government for hospitals, which provide services to central government health scheme beneficiaries.

A tremendous amount of planning, large finances, approvals, certifications, licences and guide lines need to be followed while setting up a hospital as per country. It might be well worth it at the end, but needs ample time and mammoth effort to pool together the resources in place.