Keralam sets up task force to draw up holistic health and longevity road map

The Keralam government announced plans to make private health care more affordable by consulting with the private sector, as a Bill addressing this issue is in the pipeline. This announcement occurred following a seven-year legal battle in which the Kerala High Court upheld the Kerala Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulations) Act 2018.

The Act, the first of its kind in the State, aimed to bring the entire health sector, both public and private, under a regulatory framework. However, the private health sector consistently opposed the Act and stalled its implementation. Unlike a previous Central Act (2010) that sought to cap treatment rates, the KCE Act focused on mandatory registration and minimum standards for clinical establishments, as well as transparency in fee rates.

Despite the High Court's validation of key sections of the KCE Act, the private sector challenged the Act at the Supreme Court. The government's efforts to draft a new Bill to balance patient protection and private hospital operating costs face resistance from the private health sector, which is still contesting the KCE Act at the Supreme Court.

Public health activists, such as B. Ekbal, argue that regulating treatment expenditure in the private sector is crucial to preventing catastrophic health expenditure for patients.