NEW DELHI, OCT 12 (PTI): Union Health ministry has asked all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure that clinical establishments prominently display rates for services and facilities to improve transparency, accountability and patient-centric healthcare delivery.
Union Health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, in a letter to all chief secretaries, called for a review of compliance with applicable regulations and measures to ensure healthcare charges are clearly visible and accessible to patients and their attendants.
She said displaying rates prominently would help patients and families understand treatment costs, make informed healthcare decisions and plan medical expenditure. Greater transparency would also minimise confusion and billing-related disputes while fostering trust in the healthcare system.
The letter referred to the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, and the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Rules, 2012, which provide the regulatory framework for clinical establishments.
Under the rules, establishments in states and UTs where the Act applies must display rates for each service and available facility at a conspicuous place, in both the local language and English, for patients and their attendants.
In states and UTs where the Act does not apply, establishments are regulated under respective state and UT frameworks, several of which also require the display of healthcare service rates.
Noting that health is a state subject and implementation and enforcement rest with respective states and UTs, Srivastava urged chief secretaries to ensure effective compliance through the concerned authorities.
The letter also stressed transparency in healthcare pricing for international patients. States and UTs have been asked to encourage the prominent display, wherever applicable, of package rates offered to foreign patients travelling to India on medical or Ayush visas.
This would help international patients make informed choices, reduce pricing and billing grievances, and strengthen India’s position as a trusted destination for medical and Ayush care. Srivastava sought the personal attention of chief secretaries and requested them to issue appropriate advisories to authorities and clinical establishments, ensuring rates are displayed at clearly visible and accessible locations.
The initiative aims to make healthcare delivery more transparent, accountable and responsive to patients’ needs by ensuring easy access to information on healthcare charges.
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