Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) In a major move to overhaul the state’s healthcare landscape, the Maharashtra government on Friday introduced the Maharashtra Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill. Tabled by State Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar, the proposed legislation aims to bring all healthcare facilities under a unified, transparent and highly accountable regulatory framework.

According to the “Statement of Objects and Reasons”, the Bill will completely repeal the outdated Maharashtra Nursing Homes Registration Act (XV of 1949). The proposed legislation seeks to comprehensively regulate, inspect and register clinical establishments across the state. The overarching objective is to establish mandatory minimum standards for facilities and healthcare services while repealing the ageing Maharashtra Nursing Homes Registration Act (XV of 1949), Minister Abitkar said.

According to the minister, the transition from the 1949 Act to the 2026 framework signifies a modernised, digital-first approach to managing the massive expansion of public and private diagnostic centres, clinics and multi-specialty hospitals operating across Maharashtra.

The government highlighted that the existing 1949 Act is strictly limited to the registration and inspection of nursing homes and maternity homes. Over the decades, Maharashtra’s healthcare sector has dramatically evolved, giving rise to an expansive network of laboratories, day-care centres, clinics and diagnostic hubs that currently operate outside a comprehensive state regulatory framework.

To bridge this regulatory gap, ensure transparency and enforce strict adherence to minimum standard protocols across all recognised systems of medicine, the state government has deemed it essential to establish a new law modelled on Parliament’s Clinical Establishments Act, 2010.

The Bill outlines several strict mandates aimed at monitoring healthcare quality and safeguarding consumer interests. It seeks to constitute the Maharashtra State Council for Clinical Establishments to prescribe minimum service standards.

Additionally, local Clinical Establishments Registering Authorities will be set up to supervise provisional and permanent registrations, renewals and cancellations. Clinical establishments will be legally bound to display their service rates and charges prominently at conspicuous places within their premises.

For the first time, patients will have explicit legal rights to clear information regarding the nature of their illness, the official diagnosis, the exact plan of treatment and a transparent itemised estimate of the total costs involved.

The Bill officially empowers authorities to conduct routine inspections and maintain an updated state register. Stringent penalties and punishments will be introduced for any establishments found in contravention of the provisions incorporated in the Bill. The tabling of the legislation signals a decisive stance to curb arbitrary practices and bring standardised quality to medical infrastructure across the state, Minister Abitkar said.

He further added that the introduction of the Bill marks the beginning of a crucial legislative process intended to protect patients from inflated billing while ensuring medical centres operate within established legal boundaries.

–IANS

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