Small hospitals in Kerala to protest against Clinical Establishments Act

The Kerala Association of Small Hospitals and Clinics (KASC) is planning to stage protests against the alleged attempt to harass small hospitals in the guise of implementing the Kerala Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2018.

A press release quoting T. Suresh Kumar, State Chairman, and Sushama Anil, State Secretary, said on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) that small hospitals and clinics were being strangled in the name of registration and inspections. They said that some of these institutions had been rendering commendable service to the people, especially in rural areas, at affordable rates, for decades. They had earned people’s trust as well. However, subjecting them to frequent inspections would only lead to shattering of their confidence to work, Dr. Suresh Kumar and Dr. Sushama said. The KASC would join the protest proposed by the Indian Medical Association outside the offices of the district medical officers and the Director of Health Services on February 13, 2026, they added.