When private hospitals, clinics, dispensaries and laboratories were recently asked to get themselves registered under the Bombay Nursing Homes Registration Act -- after paying fees ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 -- the medical fraternity used its clout to reduce the registration fee by one-third, claimed civic sources.

(Till now, the private medical institutions were registered under the General Medical Council and the General Medical Practitioners Registration Act of 1963).

Though the practitioners were supposed to pay the fees annually, they demanded to to pay it once in three years. While the VMC was still working out modalities to collect registration fees, it in turn could send a health officer to conduct surprise visits to private clinics and hospitals to find out whether sanitary conditions were maintained.

Under the new system, VMC Health Officer Dr Dhurandhar Pathak said, the VMC would have the details like staff strength of the hospital. But charging registration fees did not compel the VMC to dispose of hospital waste, Pathak pointed out.

It may be recalled that when the issue came up before the Standing Committee nearly a year ago, the Vadodara chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) had opposed the decision. Also, the State government was drafting another legislation, it had claimed.

Outgoing president of IMA's Vadodara branch Dr Rajesh Trivedi stuck to the stand. ``Firstly there is no need for registration. Though we are not opposed to it the fees should be reduced'' he demanded.

But since the registration has been made compulsory, the VMC should tackle hospital waste, he argued, adding that, it should either instal incinerators or create a site where the waste could be dumped. But the VMC has still not been able instal incinerators in four different zones as promised.

Even IMA president designate Dr Chetan Patel claimed that the registration charges were exorbitant because earnings of many doctors were low. The IMA would soon meet to take a decision on this issue, he said, adding that the doctors' body would call on the Municipal Commissioner and the Mayor to represent their demand. Even three or four star hotels were charged paltry amount, he added.

Standing Committee chairperson Dr Jigeesha Sheth, an anaesthetist by profession, however, felt that the charges were justified. Nonetheless the demand for taking care of the bio-medical waste could be sorted out by holding discussions, she added. But the medical fraternity could not ask the VMC to bear the cost to tackle bio-medical waste totally, she stressed.