The Supreme Court has directed a nationwide audit of intensive care unit (ICU) facilities, requiring states and Union Territories to assess infrastructural and manpower gaps within two months.
The court also ordered a nationwide audit of nursing colleges, with the Indian Nursing Council (INC) to submit a report on hands-on training facilities available to students.
The audit is aimed at bringing critical care facilities in line with model guidelines set by a court-appointed panel of experts.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan, passed the directions while considering framing uniform ICU guidelines.
The draft guidelines define what a hospital ICU should provide, based on parameters of personnel, infrastructure, and treatment protocol.
The court reduced the time frame for the audit from six to nine months, as requested by states and UTs, to two months, citing the critical stage of increasing population and demand for healthcare facilities.
