Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) "competent authority" means any authority, officer or person appointed by the Government, by notification, to perform the functions of the competent authority under this Act and different competent authority may be appointed for different areas; (b) "Government" means the State Government; (c) "private clinical establishment" means and includes- (i) a general hospital, maternity hospital or dispensary. (ii) an institution or a centre, by whatever name called where physically or mentally sick, injured or infirm person is admitted either as in-patient or outpatient for treatment with or without the aid of operative procedures; (iii) a clinic catering to radiological, biological or other diagnostic or investigative services with the aid of laboratory or other medical equipments, established and administered or maintained by any person or body of persons, whether incorporated or not, but does not include a clinical establishment established and administered or maintained by the State Government or Central Government or a local authority or a company or corporation owned or controlled by the State Government or Central Government. (a) "clinical establishment" means a clinical establishment under any recognized systems of medicine and includes— (i) a general hospital including dental hospitals, maternity hospital, dispensary, consulting room, clinic, polyclinic or nursing home; (ii) an institution or a centre, by whatever name called where physically or mentally sick, injured or infirm person is admitted either as in-patient or out-patient for treatment with or without the aid of operative procedures; (iii) a clinic catering to radiological, biological or other diagnostic or investigative services with the aid of laboratory or other medical equipments; established and administered or maintained by any person or body of persons, whether incorporated or not or the State Government or Central Government or any department of the State Government or Central Government or a trust, whether public or private or a company, whether or not owned by the Government or a local authority but does not include the clinical establishments controlled or managed by the Armed Forces. Explanation.— For the purpose of this clause, "Armed Forces" means the forces constituted under the Army Act, 1950, the Air Force Act, 1950 and the Navy Act, 1957; (aa) [Definition clause previously at (a)]; (aaa) "District Committee" means the committee constituted under section 2-D; (c) "recognized system of medicine" means Allopathy, Yoga, Naturopathy, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha or Unani system of medicine or any other system of medicine recognized by the Central Government or State Government; (d) "State Level Advisory Committee" means the committee constituted under section 2-A. In section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Clinical Establishments (Regulation) Act, 1997,— (1) in sub-section (1),— (i) in the first proviso, for the expression “nine months”, the expression “fifteen months” shall be substituted; (ii) in the second proviso, for the expression “twelve months”, the expression “eighteen months” shall be substituted; (2) to sub-section (2), the following proviso shall be added, namely:— “Provided that no fee shall be collected from the clinical establishments established and administered or maintained by the State Government or Central Government or any Departments of the State Government or Central Government or a company owned or controlled by the State Government or Central Government or a local authority.”. In section 2-D of the Tamil Nadu Clinical Establishments (Regulation) Act, 1997, in sub-section (2), after clause (a), the following clause shall be, inserted, namely:- “(aa) The Deputy Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in the district;”.