Guwahati, March 23: As many as 50 blacklisted nursing homes and 300 diagnostic laboratories in Assam could be shut down next month.

Health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the crackdown on nursing homes and laboratories operating without valid permits would have begun much earlier had the government been sure that its hospitals would be able to bear the entire healthcare load.

He claimed that the government waited for its own medical infrastructure to improve before deciding to crack the whip on illegal private operators.

“Had we launched the crackdown without creating alternative avenues, it would surely have triggered a hue and cry. Now the facilities in government hospitals are adequate to cope with the rush of patients that is expected once we close down unauthorised nursing homes and laboratories.”

Each of the nursing homes and diagnostic laboratories listed by the health department is operating without a license.

“No healthcare institution will henceforth be allowed to operate without valid papers. We will seal these units,” Sarma said.

The health department faced flak recently for not preventing the controversial surgeon, Dr Dhaniram Baruah, from experimenting with a vaccine that he claims is an antidote to ailments like cancer, AIDS and diabetics. Sarma said Baruah would not be allowed to conduct any more experiments on humans without permission.

“The government will firmly deal with the issue. To start with, we will ask Baruah to stop administering any vaccine. Secondly, we would like him to send the list of patients he has vaccinated and details of the vaccine so that the appropriate agencies can examine the veracity of his claims.”

Since he became health minister, Sarma has given the impression of being a man with a mission. He is known to make unannounced visits to government hospitals and medical colleges to check whether doctors and other staff have reported for duty.

Sarma said the crackdown on nursing homes and laboratories would be a “systematic” one.

Two nursing homes in Dibrugarh and one in Dhemaji have been sealed already for operating without licenses.