Parliament Question: Treatment of Heart, Kidney and Cancer Ailments

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 4689 TOBE ANSWERED ON 20TH MARCH, 2026 TREATMENTOFHEART, KIDNEYAND CANCERAILMENTS 4689.THIRU THANGATAMILSELVAN: Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased tostate: (a) whether the Government is aware of the fact that rising costs for medical treatment for various diseases in the country, particularly for heart, kidney and cancer related ailments and the lack of regulation inprivate hospitals leading to financial distress amongthe middle class andpoor people,if so, the details thereof; and (b) whether the Government has any proposal to regulate or fix treatment costs for heart, kidney and cancer treatment uniformly throughout the country to protect the poor patients from financialdistress, if so, the details thereofandif not,the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL) (a) & (b) : ‘Health’ being a State subject, the primary responsibility to address rising cost of medicaltreatment for variousdiseases lieswith the respective States/UTs. Nonetheless, the Government of India enacted the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 (CE Act) and notified the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Rules, 2012 amended in 2018 and 2020 (CE Rules) to provide for registration and regulation of Government (except those of Armed Forces) as well as private clinical establishments belonging to recognized systems of medicine. As per CE Act, the clinical establishments are requiredto fulfill the conditions of minimum standards of services provided for each type of service provided. The CE Act is applicable in 19 States/UTs (12 States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh and 7 UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep& Puducherry).For registration of clinical establishments, the CE Rules, inter-alia,stipulatesthe following:  Clinical establishments shall display the rates charged for each type of service provided and facilities available, for the benefit of the patients at a conspicuous place inthe local aswell asinEnglish language.  Clinical establishments shall charge the rates for each type of procedures and services within the range of rates determined and issued by the Central Government in consultation with the State Governments. In this regard, the Central Government has held multiple consultations with the States/UTs. Thematteris, at present, sub-judice inthe Hon’ble SupremeCourt of India. The States / UTs which have adopted the CE Act are primarily responsible for enforcing/implementing the provisions of the CE Act for regulating their diagnostic laboratories. The Act has empowered a registering authority at the district level under the chairmanship of the District Collector / District Magistrate totake actionsincluding imposing penalties in respect of violation of its provisions. The Act also provides for cancellation of registration, if the provisions of the Act are not complied with. The clinical establishments in the States/UTs, which have not adopted and implemented the CE Act, are registered and regulatedbythe respective StateActs. *****