Doctors cannot run hospitals at residences: HC

The Allahabad High Court on Monday ruled doctors cannot run private hospitals or nursing homes at their residential premises.

They can, however, set up consultation clinics in residential areas, a Division Bench comprising Justice Sunil Ambawani and Justice Kashi Nath Pandey said.

Dismissing a bunch of writ petitions filed by doctors from Etawah district, it said the Constitution which provides every citizen of the country the right to livelihood also empowers governments to impose "reasonable restrictions".

The court observed running private hospitals or nursing homes in residential premises amounted to violation of the provisions under which land was allotted to doctors.

However, doctors could set up clinics for providing medical consultation at their residential premises, the Bench
said.

The Etawah doctors had challenged the order of the Awas Vikas Parishad and the District Chief Medical Officer asking them to wind up nursing homes functioning from their houses.