Kolkata: Governor CV Ananda Bose assented to the West Bengal Clinical Establishment (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) (Amendment) Bill 2025, which will help the state government increase transparency in private healthcare facilities.
The Bill was passed in the state Assembly earlier, mandating the display of fixed rates and charges, including package charges, inside the private clinical establishments in a conspicuous place. It also mandates that these establishments must provide the patient or their family with a detailed estimate of all standard treatment charges—excluding those covered under fixed rates or package deals—before treatment begins.
The final costs must not exceed a percentage limit set by the Bengal government, and any increase beyond the initial estimate must be communicated within 24 hours, along with a detailed subject-wise breakdown. The Bill also states that for treatment costs not covered under fixed rates, including packages, patients’ families must be informed of the possible costs, and any increase must be communicated within 24 hours.
The Bill proposes to make e-prescriptions mandatory and asks private hospitals to maintain long-term electronic medical records of patients, including treatment details, discharge summaries, and prescriptions on demand of the state government.