Private hospitals and nursing homes in West Bengal will no longer be able to refuse treatment to patients with the passing of West Bengal Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2010 in the Assembly on Thursday.

Under the provisions of the Bill, it will also be mandatory for the hospital or nursing home authorities to release the body to the patient’s party even if they are not in a position to pay the hospitalisation costs. Hospitals denied their dues can approach the government, which will pay the hospitals the cost of the treatment if claims are found legitimate.

West Bengal health minister Surya Kant Mishra told The Telegraph, “If the claim is found legitimate, we will pay the Bill. The practice is followed in government hospitals.”

He added that new rules and provisions are needed to keep pace with the developments in the health sector and that the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Act, 1950 has become archaic.

“The amendment Bill has a no-refusal cause. Besides, nursing homes must have emergency units too,” said Mishra.

The new rules would enable patients to scan their medical records and decide for themselves whether they had been subjected to the right treatment or not. The Bill also makes it mandatory for doctors engaged in private practice to get their chambers registered with the health department and display their registration numbers and degrees.