Rule 100. Group hospitals

(1) Group hospitals shall be established.

(2) Plans for the establishment of group hospitals containing details as regards their location and size, areas of plantations served, the number of workers employed thereon, etc., shall be approved by the State Government.

(3) Every group hospital shall have a minimum of 100 beds, and there shall be at least three beds per 700 workers, every bed having 7.5 square metres of floor space.

Provided that the State Government may fix a lesser number of beds to be provided in a group hospital and exempt a group of plantations from providing a group hospital, if it is satisfied that adequate alternative arrangements exist for treatment of patients intended to be treated at a group hospital:

Provided further that no exemption shall be allowed without the previous approval of the Central Government.

(4) The hospital shall be built according to such specifications as may be approved by the State Government.

(5) There shall be provision for piped supply of pure water, electricity, modern methods of sanitation, and water-flushed closets. Each ward, labour room, surgical dressing room, consulting room and dispensary shall have a water point over a suitable glazed sink:

Provided that with the approval of the State Government, suitable alternative arrangements may be made in regard to the supply of pure water, electricity and other modern methods of sanitation.

(6) Each hospital shall have provision for:

(i) Operating theatre block,

(ii)X-ray block,

(iii)Physical treatment block, (IV)Dental treatment block,

(V)Labour room, (VI)T.B. and V.D.clinics, (VII)Consulting and examination rooms (VIII)Clinical Laboratory is fully equipped, (XI)Dispensary,

(X)Administrative and office block, (XI)Kitchen and Laundry blocks, (XII)Lavatories and bathrooms, (XIII)Stores, (XIV)Mortuary and post-mortem room

(7) Out-patient block, which should preferably be at some little distance from the wards.

(8) Separate wards shall be provided for male, female, maternity cases and small isolated wards for infectious diseases:

Provided that X-ray and physical Therapy blocks may not be provided if satisfactory arrangements are made by employers to provide these facilities with a hospital approved by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

(9) (a) Every group hospital shall have such medical and other staff as may be specified by the State Government. All doctors in a group hospital shall be qualified medical practitioners.

(b) There shall be 15 nurses for a 100-bedded hospital, of whom one shall be senior trained, 5 junior trained and 9 assistant nurses. Such classification may be made according to their qualifications and experience.

(10) A properly equipped ambulance shall be maintained at every group hospital.