Rule 116. Garden Hospital

(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-rules (2) and (3) every employer shall, either

(a) Provide a Garden Hospital in his plantation according to the standards laid down in these rules; or

(b) Have a lien on beds in such Hospitals in a neighboring plantation or other hospital to the scale of 15 bedsper 1,000 workers as may be approved by the Chief Inspector cum facilitator:

Provided that in the case of lien on hospital beds outside the plantation, a plantation or group of plantations shall provide a dispensary with upto five detention bed under the immediate care and supervision of a qualified medical practitioner assisted by at least a full-time trained nurse and such other staff as the Chief Inspector cum facilitator, may consider necessary with corresponding reduction in the number of beds on which the plantations or group of plantations shall have a lien.

(2) A Plantation employing one thousand or more workers shall run its own garden Hospital while plantations employing less than, one thousand workers which are situated within reasonable distances from one another may, with the approval of the Chief Inspector cum facilitator, combine and provide joint hospitals and share their expenses, For this purpose, the plantations concerned shall submit to the Chief Inspector-cum-facilitator, particulars of scale of staff proposed to be employed, the equipments proposed to be provided, the location of joint hospital, areas of plantations served, the distances of plantations from one another, the number of workers employed and all other relevant information:

Provided that in thecase of combined hospitals plantations employing more than two hundred but less than 1,000 workers shall, run their own dispensary referred to in sub-rule(1).

(3) In plantations where the number of workers employed is less than two hundred, a first aid box or a cupboard equipped with such contents as may be prescribed by the Chief Inspector cum facilitator shall be provided under the supervision and care of a person trained in First-aid treatment, whose service shall be readily available during all hours. The employer shall also provide free medical aid to the workers and their families by arrangement with the nearest available hospitals/dispensaries similar to the facilities available to the other plantations workers.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rules (1) to (3) plantations, employing two hundred or fewer workers so situated as not to be within a distance of 8 k.m. from the reach of a hospital/ dispensary shall have, subject to the approval of the Chief Inspector cum facilitator, a dispensary with a minimum of one detention bed if the number of workers employed is between 15 and 100 and one more bed if the number of workers exceed one hundred under the immediate care of a full-time qualified compounder but supervised and visited thrice a week by the nearest Medical Officer.

(5) Each Garden Hospital shall be under aqualified medical practitioner assisted by aqualified compounder, one trained nurse, trained midwife, and a helper (nursing orderly). If a higher trained nurse is available, additional midwives shall not be necessary. The services of the staff shall be readily available during all hours:

Provided that in the case of doctors, compounders, nurses, and midwives employed in plantations at the commencement of these rules who are not qualified, government may grant exemption from possessing the qualifications prescribed for them on the recommendation of the Chief Inspector cum Facilitator in consultation with the District Medical Officers concerned.

(6) Additional Medical and auxiliary personnel shall be appointed according to the following scales:-Qualified medical Practitioners - I For every additional 2000 workers Compounder - I For every additional 1750 workers Trained nurse - I For every additional 1750 workers Trained midwife - I For every additional 1750 workers Helper(nursing orderly)(male or female) - I For every additional 700 workers Where more than one medical practitioner are appointed at least one shall be a lady doctor.

(7) (a) A minimum of 15 beds shall be provided in every garden hospital per 1000 workers served and each bed shall be allowed at least 6 m2 of floor space.

(b) Every hospital shall be of sound permanent construction with impermeable washable walls to a height of at least 1.5 m on the inside with proper water supply and efficient sanitary arrangements.

(c) Every hospital shall have pure piped water supply and the wards, consulting room, operation theatre, and dispensary shall each have a water point over a suitable glazed sink.

(d) the following departments shall be provided: -(i) General ward for males:

(ii) General ward for females:

(iii) Separate labour room and family planning Centre:

(iv) Infectious ward with separate sanitary arrangements and Oxygen supply:

(v) Outpatient department with sufficient waiting space for patients to wait undercover preferably situated in a separate block from general wards:

(vi) Minor operation and dressing room;

(vii) Dispensary and drugstores;

(viii) Consulting rooms so arranged that patients can be examined in privacy:

(ix) General Stores: and

(x) Kitchen for cooking.

(e) In every hospital, free transport facilities shall be provided for carrying patients to and from Group Hospitals.