Maharashtra's state government has directed private hospitals and medical establishments across the region to post a comprehensive fee schedule — covering all available services, rendered in both Marathi and English — at each facility's entrance, where patients can readily consult it.
Health Minister Prakash Abitkar has indicated that the directive aligns with guidance the Central government has sent to states across the country, adding that hospitals are required to post their service and facility charges in both Marathi and English at a visible location such as the front desk or reception area.
Any adjustment to the fees charged for medical services and facilities requires that an updated schedule of those fees be circulated without delay. Full billing details are to be made available to the public, with charges broken down so that no fees go unexplained or undisclosed.
Minister Abitkar's directive also calls on hospitals to post visible pricing for the bundled treatment packages made available to patients travelling from abroad. Directives went out to every district civil surgeon and local health officer, instructing each to apply the relevant regulations firmly within their own jurisdiction so that patients would be protected from exploitation.
The move is projected to bring greater openness to billing practices at private medical facilities across the state, making costs and procedures easier for patients to understand and enabling patients to hold institutions accountable. Under Maharashtra healthcare rules, private hospitals and medical establishments are required to post full price lists for their services in both Marathi and English at visible locations — a measure tied to broader efforts at openness and oversight within the state's health sector.
Complaints about unclear fee structures, unexpected price increases, and undisclosed charges at privately run medical facilities have been documented by patient advocates and consumer organisations over an extended period. According to health department sources, the directive from the state government is intended to address inconsistent pricing by requiring that standardised rate cards be made available to patients and their families before any treatment decision is made.
Guidance from the national government to state administrations underpins the step, bringing hospital and clinic signage into line with a uniform framework. Under Maharashtra's clinical establishment regulations, private healthcare providers — including clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, and diagnostic centres — are required to post their fee schedules openly, keep billing records clear, and revise those schedules without delay whenever pricing adjustments take effect.
Rate cards posted in both Marathi and English are intended to keep healthcare pricing accessible to residents who may read only one of those two languages. The provision establishes a formal right for patients to receive cost information about their treatment ahead of any commitment to proceed, allowing them to compare their healthcare options without facing bills they had no reason to expect.
