The state has reinitiated efforts to introduce theClinical Establishments Act(CEA), 2010, aiming to enforce minimum standards for healthcare facilities and provide patients with rights and effective grievance redress mechanisms after several unsuccessful attempts since 2014.
Directorate of Health Services (DHS) has asked all district surgeons, district health officials and heads to hold discussions on CEA and Bombay Nursing Home Act that currently administers medical facilities.
The Act was initially passed in 2010 for Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, and Union territories (excluding Delhi) to establish a framework for overseeing health facilities. Several states later adopted the Act, tailoring it to their specific requirements. InMaharashtra, a serious attempt was made in 2014, but it was put on hold with a change in government. Later, a committee was formed in 2018, but controversy arose due to the lack of representation from civil societies. Discussions to introduce the Act resurfaced during the pandemic but were eventually abandoned.