Maharashtra introduces bill to regulate clinical establishments
The Maharashtra Government on Friday introduced a clinical establishments bill, seeking to enhance transparency and accountability by bringing all healthcare facilities under a unified regulatory framework.
Tabled by State Health Minister Prakash Abitkar, the Maharashtra Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill replaces the outdated Nursing Homes Registration Act of 1949, mandating registration for all hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, and other healthcare facilities.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the existing law regulates only nursing homes and maternity homes, and does not cover the wide range of healthcare institutions.
The Government has stated that the new legislation seeks to ensure transparency, accountability and adherence to minimum standards across all recognised systems of medicine. Under the proposed law, a State council for clinical establishments will be constituted to prescribe minimum standards and specify the services to be provided by different categories of clinical establishments.
It also proposes registering authorities for different regions of the state to oversee provisional and permanent registration, renewal and cancellation of licences.
The bill mandates that all registered clinical establishments prominently display their registration certificates along with the rates and charges for services.
It also introduces a charter of patients’ rights, giving patients the right to receive information about the nature of their illness, diagnosis, treatment plan and estimated cost of treatment.
The legislation empowers authorities to inspect registered clinical establishments and maintain an updated State register of healthcare facilities, and provides for penalties for violations of the law, establishes a dedicated fund for the state council, and authorises the government to issue directions for effective implementation of the Act.
The Government said that while the proposed legislation was broadly on the lines of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, it is intended to provide Maharashtra with its own comprehensive legal framework to regulate healthcare institutions.
