Haryana notifies amended epidemic disease regulations with penalties for violators

Chandigarh: The Haryana govt has notified the amended Haryana Epidemic Diseases (Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya & Japanese Encephalitis) Regulations, 2024. Provisions are now in place to penalise violators of the regulations.Dr Sumita Misra, additional chief secretary, health, said on Friday that the notification was issued under Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, in view of the continued threat posed by outbreaks of malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis. The regulations will remain in force until March 31, 2027. Under the new framework, all govt and private hospitals, clinics and laboratories are now mandatorily required to report every confirmed case of vector-borne diseases to the civil surgeon concerned within 24 hours of detection, along with complete patient details. The information must also be updated on the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal to ensure real-time monitoring and a coordinated response. To protect patients from excessive medical charges during outbreaks, the govt capped the cost of recommended dengue tests. Private hospitals and laboratories are not permitted to charge more than Rs 600 for ELISA-based NS1 and IgM tests. In addition, private hospitals are directed not to charge more than Rs 11,000 per patient for Single Donor Platelets (SDP), if required. She added that non-compliance with the regulations will attract penalties. Hospitals or laboratories that fail to follow approved diagnostic protocols, do not report confirmed cases, declare cases without confirmatory testing, or submit incomplete patient details may face monetary penalties. A fine of Rs 1,000 will be imposed for the first violation, Rs 5,000 for the second violation, and Rs 10,000 for the third or subsequent violation. Continued non-compliance may invite further action under Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. An appeal against any penalty can be filed within 30 days before an appellate committee headed by the civil surgeon. MSID:: 128307055 413 |