Gujarat Mandatory Registration for Healthcare Institutions under Clinical Establishment Act 2024
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Synopsis
The Gujarat government has mandated that all healthcare institutions, including hospitals and clinics, must register under the Clinical Establishment Act 2024 by March 12, 2025, or face penalties. This aims to enhance service quality and accountability in the healthcare sector.
Key Takeaways
- Mandatory registration for healthcare facilities.
- Deadline set for March 12, 2025.
- Penalties up to Rs 5 lakh for non-compliance.
- Includes all healthcare sectors: allopathy, ayurveda, homoeopathy, and Unani.
- Over 16,698 facilities registered as of February 2025.
Gandhinagar, Feb 11 (NationPress) The Gujarat government has mandated that all healthcare institutions, such as hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and clinics, must register under the Clinical Establishment Act 2024.
The state Health Department has initiated a comprehensive campaign to guarantee compliance, with a deadline established for March 12, 2025. Institutions that do not register within this period may incur fines of up to Rs 5 lakh. This regulation also requires all medical practitioners and healthcare professionals operating clinics to register.
Officials indicated that this directive encompasses allopathy, ayurveda, homoeopathy, and Unani medical establishments providing healthcare services.
According to official statistics, as of February 11, 2025, there are 16,698 healthcare facilities in Gujarat that have achieved either permanent or provisional registration.
Out of these, 14,647 institutions have successfully registered online, which includes 1,882 government and 5,268 private healthcare centers. The registered facilities comprise 12,028 allopathy hospitals, 1,622 ayurveda centers, and over 3,000 homoeopathy hospitals and clinics.
Moreover, 566 clinical laboratories, 28 dialysis centers, and various physiotherapy and dental clinics have been registered under the act.
The government aspires to streamline healthcare operations, improve service quality, and ensure accountability within the sector. As the deadline approaches, the Health Department urges all unregistered medical facilities to comply with the new regulation to avoid penalties and ensure uninterrupted operations.
The state currently features 319 Community Health Centers (CHCs), 1,463 Primary Health Centers (PHCs), and 6,575 sub-centers, indicating a 41 percent increase in PHCs and a 37 percent rise in CHCs since 2001-02.
Additionally, the number of medical colleges has surged from nine in 2001 to over 30 in 2023. The Gujarat Hospital Management Information System (GHMIS) reports that 35 hospitals are currently operational under its oversight, of which 17 are teaching hospitals.
Collectively, these institutions have recorded in excess of 91 million outpatient registrations and approximately 9 million inpatient registrations. Despite these advancements, challenges remain. Healthcare services for tribal populations in Gujarat continue to be insufficient, with reports of systematic exploitation by both legitimate and illegitimate practitioners.
Furthermore, disparities in maternal health services are apparent across districts. For example, the percentage of women receiving four or more antenatal care visits varies from 56 percent in Banaskantha to 95 percent in Navsari.
