Tripura Yet to Enforce Clinical Establishments Act, Patients Bear Brunt of Unregulated Medical Charges
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, February 2, 2026
Tripura continues to remain outside the framework of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, leaving patients in the state vulnerable to unregulated and often exorbitant medical expenses charged by private hospitals, nursing homes, and diagnostic centers.
Despite repeated public complaints, the state government has not yet implemented the central law that empowers governments to regulate clinical establishments and fix standard rates for medical services. As a result, allegations of overcharging and lack of transparency in healthcare billing are steadily increasing across Tripura.
Patients in both urban and rural areas frequently allege that private hospitals and pathology laboratories are charging abnormally high fees for routine consultations, diagnostic tests, and medical procedures. While many institutions claim to provide quality healthcare services, the absence of a regulatory mechanism has allowed them to set prices arbitrarily.
A more alarming aspect is that even most government hospitals in Tripura do not display rate charts for various medical services. According to existing norms under the Clinical Establishments Act, every hospital and diagnostic center is required to prominently display a price list of services. However, such display boards are rarely seen in Tripura, either in private facilities or in public hospitals.
In several government hospitals where pathology and diagnostic services are outsourced to private agencies, there are serious complaints that patients are being charged excessively high rates. Many citizens question how government-run institutions can allow private operators to function without any price control or accountability.
The issue has gained national attention after Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal raised the matter in Parliament, highlighting alleged exploitation of patients by private hospitals across the country. Her intervention brought into focus the importance of enforcing the Clinical Establishments Act, under which state governments have the authority to fix reasonable rates for treatment and diagnostic services.
As of 2025-2026, the Clinical Establishments Act has been adopted by 11 Indian states, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. All Union Territories except Delhi have also implemented the Act.
Many other major states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala not adopted the central Act but have introduced their own state-specific laws to regulate private healthcare establishments. Tripura, however, has neither adopted the central law nor introduced any strong alternative legislation to control medical charges.
Health activists in the state argue that this legal vacuum has resulted in a free hand for private healthcare providers. Without fixed rates, monitoring mechanisms, or grievance redressal systems, ordinary patients have no option but to pay whatever amount is demanded, especially during medical emergencies.
Experts point out that health being a state subject, it is the responsibility of the Tripura government to adopt the Act or frame similar regulations. Implementation of the law would ensure compulsory registration of all clinical establishments, standardization of service charges, mandatory display of rates, and accountability in medical practices.
Citizens groups are now demanding immediate intervention from the state government to protect people from what they describe as medical exploitation. They insist that transparent pricing, strict regulation of diagnostic centers, and effective monitoring of private hospitals are urgently needed in Tripura.
Until the Clinical Establishments Act is enforced, patients in Tripura are likely to continue suffering from unpredictable and inflated healthcare costs, making quality medical treatment increasingly unaffordable for the common people.
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