The Government of Maharashtra has issued an official resolution updating user charges for services in state-run hospitals, marking a significant adjustment from the existing predominantly free or nominal-cost model for public healthcare. The revised fee structure was formalised in a government resolution dated January 16, 2026, and affects a wide range of clinical, diagnostic, inpatient, and surgical services across government health facilities in the state.
The updated rates apply to government hospitals including district hospitals, rural and sub-district hospitals, and women’s hospitals under the state health system. While the order has been issued, implementation at the hospital level had not started at the time of reporting, with administrators awaiting operational guidance.
Under the newly notified rate card, a broad range of services will be subject to user fees:
OPD (Outpatient Department) Registration: Rs 5 per visit.
Inpatient Admission: Rs 10 per day.
Basic Laboratory Tests: Rs 15 per test (including haemoglobin, leukocyte counts, urine analysis, and culture sensitivity).
Diagnostic Imaging: X-ray techniques such as intravenous pyelogram at Rs 100, CT scans Rs 300–400, and MRI scans Rs 1,600.
Surgical Charges: Procedures under anaesthesia will be charged depending on complexity, with a range of Rs 60 to Rs 160.
Major Surgeries: Joint replacement surgery carries the highest fee at Rs 40,000 under the new schedule.
Maternal Services: The first delivery remains free, while subsequent deliveries are priced at Rs 50 (second delivery) and Rs 250 (third and subsequent deliveries).
ICU Care: Charged at Rs 100 per day.
Haemodialysis: Rs 150 per session.
Room Charges: Rs 150 per day for air-conditioned rooms and Rs 75 per day for non-AC accommodation.
Non-Clinical Services: Embalming costs (e.g., Rs 1,500 when bodies are handed to private institutions) and ambulance services (Rs 5 per kilometre, plus a waiting fee of Rs 30 per hour after eight hours) are also included.
The structured rate card aims to set standard charges for various healthcare services that were previously offered free or at nominal cost in many state-run facilities.
The resolution outlines several categories of patients who will continue to receive free medical care, including:
Government employees and their dependents.
Doctors and nursing staff serving in government hospitals.
Medical and paramedical students.
Prisoners under judicial custody.
Medico-legal cases referred by police.
Freedom fighters and their families.
Inmates in correctional facilities.
Elected representatives (e.g., ministers, MPs, MLAs) and judges.
The resolution also directs that treatment must not be denied or delayed under any circumstances regardless of a patient’s ability to pay and mandates that the names of treating doctors be displayed prominently.
Healthcare administrators have noted uncertainties about implementation due to past government orders that had maintained free services in state facilities. For example, a 2023 resolution had directed that services, including those under public-private partnerships, remain free. Civil surgeons in districts such as Thane and Chatrapati Sambhajinagar reported they were still awaiting clear operational guidance on enacting the new fee schedule in hospitals.
The revised rate structure has also drawn attention from public health activists and hospital administrators as it alters longstanding practices in Maharashtra’s government health system.
(Rh)
