India

Centre Urges States to Display Clinical Service Rates Prominently

By PTI

The Union Health Ministry has instructed all states and Union Territories to ensure that the rates charged for services and facilities offered by clinical establishments are displayed prominently. In a letter to chief secretaries, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava called for a review of compliance with applicable regulatory provisions and for measures that make information on healthcare service charges clearly visible and easily accessible to patients and their attendants. The secretary emphasized that conspicuous display of rates would help patients and families understand the likely cost of treatment, make informed decisions, plan medical expenditure, reduce confusion and billing disputes, and build trust in the healthcare system.

The letter cites the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, and the Clinical Establishments Rules, 2012, which require establishments in states and Union Territories where the Act applies to display rates for each type of service and facility in a conspicuous place, in both the local language and English. In jurisdictions where the Act does not apply, state and Union Territory regulations, many of which also mandate rate display, are relevant.

Recognizing that health is a state subject and that enforcement rests with individual states and Union Territories, the secretary asked chief secretaries to ensure effective compliance through the authorities. The letter also stresses transparency for international patients, urging states and Union Territories to promote the display of package rates offered to foreign patients on medical or Ayush visas. This would enable international patients to make informed choices, reduce pricing and billing grievances, and strengthen India’s reputation as a trusted medical and Ayush care destination.

Srivastava requested the chief secretaries’ personal attention to the matter and asked them to issue advisories to authorities and clinical establishments, ensuring that rates are displayed in conspicuous, clearly visible, and easily accessible locations. The initiative aims to make healthcare delivery more transparent, accountable, and responsive to patients’ needs, making clear information on charges an integral part of patient‑centric care.