New Delhi: Relief may be in sight for those weary of steep doctor fees and billing discrepancies at private hospitals. India is looking to regulate fees for consultation and common medical procedures at private healthcare facilities with range-bound limits, said two government officials in the know. The move, which aims to bring greater transparency and ease citizens' healthcare costs, is set to face pushback from sections of the medical community.
The proposal being discussed involves amending the Clinical Establishment Act 2010 to provide the government more enforcement power to act against non-compliance and mandate range-bound consultation fees, depending on the practitioner's qualifications.
The health ministry is currently mapping the cost of these services across different tiers of cities, said the officials.
While the primary focus is on outpatient department (OPD) fees, the plan is to also standardize the rates for common inpatient procedures such as cataract and caesarian section surgeries, the officials said.
They said that the government plans to use the Clinical Establishment Act’s current provisions that call for a "range of rates" to be fixed by the Centre in consultation with the states. With these measures, the government aims to curb unethical practices and ensure quality healthcare becomes more accessible to a broader segment of the population, particularly the middle- and lower-income groups, who are most vulnerable.
This move on standardization of healthcare charges assumes significance for India’s 43,486 private healthcare facilities and 1.38 million doctors, as per data from the Association of Healthcare Providers in India and the National Medical Commission.
India's out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for healthcare is high. Estimates for 2025 show households bear nearly 47% of total medical costs. The average spending per hospitalization was ₹34,064 during the year, with private hospital costs surging to ₹50,508, per an April 2026 statement by the statistics & programme implementation ministry.
“There is a plan to sharpen and legally amend the Clinical Establishment Act to provide the government with more authority to regulate the private sector," said the first official cited above. "The Act already contains provisions for a ‘range of rates’ to be fixed by the central government in consultation with states. The current goal is to utilize these provisions to streamline fee structures for consultations and procedures to ensure greater transparency for patients.”
For these changes, the Centre will hold consultations with state governments since health is a state subject, the official added.
The Clinical Establishment Act of 2010 currently functions more as an advisory since it lacks the necessary provisions for the government to take direct action or ‘enforce’ specific regulations against private hospitals, the official said.
“This transparency is intended to empower patients, allowing them to be fully aware of the potential costs before undergoing any consultation or procedure," said the second official cited above, who also did not want to be named.
Currently, in tier-I cities, private doctors' consultation fees are largely in the range of ₹1,000-3,000 and go higher still, depending on the practitioner's qualifications and the hospital.
Mint had earlier reported on the government’s plan to mandate display of consultation fees of doctors and specialists, along with their qualifications and registration numbers, at the reception or public areas of hospitals and clinics.
What the doctors say
The plan may, however, not find favour with the medical fraternity.
Dr. Dilip Bhanushali, president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), a group representing more than 4.2 lakh private medical practitioners said, “The government's thought process on capping fees has been raised before, and the IMA stands firmly against it. Why should doctors be treated differently than people in other professions who also charge for their visits or consultation?”
He said the call for healthcare quality standards is, however, essential. “Standardization in medical care is absolutely necessary, but capping charges will not work in the long term. Many corporate hospitals are now owned by foreign equity; they are running businesses, not charities," Dr. Bhanushali asserted. “In major cities, the cost of living and maintaining a practice is incredibly high. Instead of imposing these limits on the private sector, the government should focus on strengthening its own public health infrastructure and existing schemes.” A majority of doctors are already doing consultations for free for those who cannot afford it, he added.
Some private hospitals called for fee standardization to be implemented in a calibrated manner to ensure the financial viability of high-end clinical services.
Dr. Sanjay Sharma, whole-time director and chief executive at Park Medi World Ltd, which owns a chain of hospitals in north India including Delhi-NCR and Haryana, said clear information on consultation and procedure costs will boost trust, informed decision-making, and make quality healthcare more affordable. “At the same time, any standardization framework must be implemented in a balanced and calibrated manner. Healthcare delivery is not uniform—differences in clinical expertise, infrastructure, technology, and complexity of care across institutions are real and must be recognized. It is equally important that quality, innovation, and patient's best clinical outcomes remain at the centre of the system,” Dr. Sharma said.
"We look forward to constructive engagement with policymakers to help shape a framework that is patient-centric, equitable, and sustainable,” he added.
The government has been making private healthcare norms more stringent in recent times—drawing spatial requirements for beds and consultation rooms, specifically outlining minimum standards for consultation clinics, clinics with dispensaries, those with diagnostic support services, and for those offering observation or short-stay facilities. These standards aim to ensure a baseline quality of care regardless of the facility size.
Queries on the development emailed to the ministry of health and family welfare, and top hospitals Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, Fortis Healthcare Ltd, Manipal Health Enterprises Pvt Ltd, and Max Healthcare Institute Ltd on Tuesday remained unanswered until press time. A spokesperson for Global Health Ltd (Medanta) declined to comment on the development.
Also seeking “a balanced approach” Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Super-speciality Healthcare, New Delhi, said, “Standardization must be a win-win, balancing patient protection with the professional right to value specialized skills… A one-size-fits-all cap overlooks specialized skills and significant infrastructure investments.”
He, however, batted for transparency. “If a patient is charged a premium, they deserve dedicated time and thorough care. Fees should reflect the complexity of the medical setup and the doctor's expertise.”