Keralam plans Bill to regulate the high cost of treatment in private hospitals

Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan | Photo Credit: Special Event

The Kerala government will introduce a bill in the next assembly session to regulate the high cost of medical care in private hospitals, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan told the assembly on Monday (October 26, 2026).

He was responding to a question by Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA KN Balagopal about steps the government is taking to regulate the trend of some big hospitals now having large stakes in global private equity firms, which is driving up the cost of treatment.

The minister said the government agrees in principle with the need to regulate private hospitals, many of which are now under the management of foreign companies. He said that even though the cost of treatment as well as room rentals have gone up drastically, the insurance companies sometimes reject the claims, causing hardship to the common people.

Health destination project

Answering another question, Mr. Muraleedharan said that the government is preparing a project to make Kerala a medical destination that will be sought by foreigners as well as people from other states. These activities will be coordinated by the Chief Secretary (Health Department), the Director of the Health Department and the Director of Medical Education.

There is also a major campaign for early detection and control of civilization diseases. As part of this, health professionals will visit homes and use survey and pre-screening to identify those who need attention. The pilot project will first be implemented in Vattiyurkavu, Idukki and Nilambur assembly constituencies and later spread across the state, Mr. Muraleedharan said.

Published – 26 Oct 2026 11:24 IST