Displaying Your Clinic's Fees: What the Health Ministry's October 2026 Letter Means for a Solo OPD

In a press release on 12 October 2026, the Health Ministry said the Union Health Secretary has written to the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories about one thing: patients and their attendants should be able to see what a clinic charges. As the release describes it, the letter does not create a new rule. It asks states to review how well existing rules on displaying rates are followed, and to issue advisories to clinics. If you run a one-doctor OPD, the practical question is simple: does a rule already require you to put your fees on the wall, and if so, what should the board say?

This guide to clinic rate display rules in India quotes the central rule, lists the states and Union Territories where the Ministry's own website says that rule applies, and then gives our reading of what a small chamber can do this week.

Information as of 16 October 2026. This is a general guide, not legal advice. The sections marked "our reading" are not an official interpretation.

What the Ministry's 12 October release actually says#

The Ministry's press release (PIB, 12 October 2026, 1:05 PM) says the Health Secretary "has called for a review of compliance with applicable regulatory provisions" so that "information on healthcare service charges is clearly visible and easily accessible to patients and their attendants."

Four points from the release matter for a small clinic:

• It points to the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Rules, 2012.
• It says that where the Central Act does not apply, clinics are regulated under their own state or UT framework, "several of which also contain provisions relating to the display of rates".
• It asks Chief Secretaries to "issue appropriate advisories to the concerned authorities and Clinical Establishments for necessary action".
• It also asks states to encourage display of package rates for foreign patients on Medical or Ayush visas. A solo OPD that does not see those patients can leave that part aside.

The release mentions no deadline, format or penalty. We could not find the letter itself, so this guide works from the release. Any deadline or format would come from your state.

The exact rule: Rule 9(i) of the 2012 Central Rules#

The Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Rules, 2012 were notified as G.S.R. 387(E) on 23 May 2012. The gazette PDF is on the Ministry's Clinical Establishments site. Rule 9 is headed "Other conditions for registration and continuation of clinical establishments". Clause (i) reads:

"every clinical Establishment shall display the rates charged for each type of service provided and facilities available, for the benefit of the patients at a conspicuous place in the local as well as in english language;"

So the rule has three parts: what (the rates for each type of service and the facilities available), where (a conspicuous place) and in which language (the local language and English).

Clause (ii) of the same rule refers to charging within "the range of rates determined and issued by the Central Government from time to time, in consultation with the State Governments". This guide does not cover rate ranges. Ask your registering authority if that question applies to you.

Does the Central Act apply in your state?#

The Health Ministry's Clinical Establishments website (About us, read on 16 October 2026) says:

• The Act "has taken effect in the four States namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, and all Union Territories except the NCT of Delhi since 1st March, 2012".
• "The States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and Haryana have adopted the Act".

The same website's State and UTs Rules page lists rules for 19 states and UTs. Two of them are not named on the About page: Ladakh (date of adoption 22-08-22) and Telangana, which that table spells "Telanaga", with a date of adoption of 14-06-22. Jammu and Kashmir is not named on either page.

If your clinic is in one of these states or UTs, Rule 9(i) is the starting point. Your state's own rules may add detail, so read them too. They are linked from the same page.

If your state is not on either list, the PIB release says you are covered by your state's own framework. Gujarat is one example we have read: rule 14(c) of the Gujarat Clinical Establishments Amendment Rules, 2024 lists "display of rates charged by Clinical Establishment" as a duty, and our Gujarat registration guide covers it. For other states, check your state Act and rules, or ask your district registering authority. We have not checked every state.

What a one-doctor OPD should put on the board (our reading)#

This section is our reading of Rule 9(i) for a small chamber, not an official interpretation. Please get it checked by a lawyer or your registering authority.

The rule says "each type of service provided and facilities available". For a solo OPD, we read that as a short list:

• Consultation fees: first visit and follow-up, if you charge them differently. Add a review window only if you actually use one (for example "follow-up within X days").
• Procedures you bill separately: dressing, injection, nebulisation, ECG or suturing, if you do them and charge for them.
• Anything else on the bill: certificate fees, home visit fees or teleconsultation fees, if you charge for them.

What we would leave off: anything you never charge for, and anything you cannot price in advance. For items whose price varies, a line such as "price depends on the materials used; ask before the procedure" is clearer than a number you will not stick to.

Where and in which language#

Rule 9(i) says "a conspicuous place" and "in the local as well as in english language". It does not define either. Our reading:

• Put the board where a patient sees it before they are seen, usually the waiting area or the reception counter, not only inside the consulting room.
• Write each line in English and in the main local language of your area. One board with two columns works.
• Date the board ("Rates as of ...") so you and your staff know when it was last changed.
• When a fee changes, change the board on the same day. A board that disagrees with the bill is the kind of billing dispute the release says it wants to avoid.

Putting fees on your website or WhatsApp#

Many clinics also share fees online. NMC's Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication (6 October 2026, PDF) touch this in three places. Our NMC advertising guide walks through the rest of that notice.

• Para 9.1 lists "applicable fees" among the factual particulars a clinical establishment may share.
• Para 9.3 says a registered medical practitioner can issue a formal announcement which is factual, non-promotional and limited in scope, including a public declaration of consultation fees.
• Para 8.1(x) bars discounts, limited-period offers, contests, coupons, gifts, cashbacks, referral benefits, free procedures or similar inducements used in a manner that is likely to encourage unnecessary consultation, investigation or treatment, or that amounts to solicitation of patients. It adds: "Any lawful disclosure of charges, packages or fees shall be factual, transparent and not misleading."

Our reading: a plain fee list on your website, or a WhatsApp reply to a patient who asks, is one thing. A "first consultation free" banner or a festival discount is another. If in doubt, keep the online list identical to the wall board and leave out offers. The clinic website guide is about what else belongs on that page. Medabha's clinic website has no fees section, so a fee list there would be something you add in your own words, not a built-in block.

A short rate board check#

1. Find out which rules apply to your clinic: the Central Rules, if your state or UT is on the lists above, or your state's own Act and rules.
2. Write down every fee that has appeared on a bill in the last month. That is your list.
3. Put the list on one board in English and the local language, with a date.
4. Place it where patients wait.
5. Check that your website, Google listing and WhatsApp replies show the same numbers, and no offers.
6. Recheck the board whenever you change a fee.

Where Medabha fits, and where it does not#

If you use Medabha, the visit fee is under Settings, then Consultation pricing. You set a default consultation fee and optional quick amounts, such as a follow-up fee. In the consult room those show as chips in Fees (this visit), and you can still change the amount for that patient before you sign.

Treatment prices is a separate screen. It appears in the settings menu when the clinic has dental among its specialties. You type every fee. The chips add the name only, and you set the amount. A dental clinic gets the dental list. A clinic that also has another specialty gets the general names as well: Dressing, Injection, Nebulisation, ECG, Suturing and IV fluids. One tap in the consult room adds that line to this visit's fees. A clinic without dental does not see Treatment prices in the menu. Use Consultation pricing for the fees you want on the bill.

What Medabha does not do today: it does not print a rate board, and the clinic website builder has no fees section. The wall board is still yours to make. Clinic management software can keep the bill matched to a price list. It does not replace the board on the wall.

What is still unclear#

• Whether your state will issue a format or a deadline after the Health Secretary's letter. Watch your state health department and your registering authority.
• How "each type of service" applies to a consulting room with no procedures. We think a consultation fee board covers it, but that is our reading.
• Telangana and Ladakh appear on the Ministry site's State Rules page but not on its About page. Check with your state authority rather than treating either page as the last word.

This is a general guide, not legal advice. Information as of 16 October 2026.