June 13: Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said he had ordered ?strong action? against Dr Siddhi Prasad Deori, store in-charge at the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), for violation of service rules.

The government doctor, who owns Jyotish Memorial Hospital in Dibrugarh, came under the scanner last week when a 200-strong mob ransacked the establishment for alleged medical malpractice.

?Deori, who is a government servant, since he is the store-in-charge of the AMCH, himself filed an FIR under his signature with the Dibrugarh sadar police station that his nursing home has been vandalised. This proves that he has violated all existing laws. This is why I have instructed officials to take strong action against him and his nursing home,? Sarma told reporters at the additional circuit house.

Sarma, who reached Dibrugarh early this morning, met officials of the AMCH and the district administration to discuss the issue.

Jyotish Memorial Hospital is among five nursing homes against which the office of the joint director of health services had previously recommended action for ?failing to submit documents mandatory to run a hospital?.

?We have taken note of the unsystematic growth of nursing homes, clinics and laboratories. This is why we will bring in a legislation during the next Assembly session, through which we will take a slew of measures to encourage healthy competition between the government and the private sector,? Sarma said.

The health minister said that henceforth, if government doctors were found attending to patients in private nursing homes during duty hours, the nursing home would be shut down immediately.

?We have nothing to say if government doctors make extra money by working in nursing homes after their duty hours. We are also planing to earmark a specific zone within the vicinity of the three existing and the three upcoming medical colleges so that no one can establish nursing homes in that area,? he said.

The new legislation will make licenses mandatory and will not allow a nursing home to function under the ?applied-for category?.

?We are planning investments of Rs 100 crore each in the three medical colleges for development of infrastructure. AMCH will be getting an MRI machine costing around Rs 7 to 8 crore in three months? time. We are also planning some incentives for the technicians,? Sarma said.

The minister also took stock of the ongoing Hospital of People?s Expectation (HOPE) project, for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 20 crore.