Council discusses new law to issue clinic permits

The Manama Municipal Council and the Ministry of Health’s Department for Registration yesterday discussed a new law for issuing licences for health clinics in the Capital, writes Naila Barakat.
The meeting follows the council’s decision to stop permits to clinics proposed to be set up in old buildings and not to change the category of residential apartments into clinics, council chairman Murtada Bader said.
He said that the council had stopped issuing permits for opening clinics at inappropriate places in the Capital. “We have a number of applications for new clinics as well as applications for renewal or extension for licences of various clinics.
“The council and health officials are holding discussions to set new criteria for permits due to several complains about parking and other facilities. We will not accept any change of category of residential licences into business licences and will not allow any change in the category of residential buildings into clinics.
“We have also stopped issuing permits to change residential villas into kindergartens or nurseries. For any business permit or licence there will be conditions. But no one can use residential villas as clinics.
“To issue a permit for a clinic the building must have the safety measures, special interior, colour of walls, electricity connection and other necessary things. The council wants to equip such buildings with all those things that the people want to have in clinics,” he said.
Bader said that the new law would also take into consideration roads and area classifications for old buildings.