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State to mandate implementation of govt health schemes in all charitable hospitals
According to officials, Maharashtra has 479 charitable hospitals registered under the Public Trusts Act, 1950, but only 134 have been empanelled, while the remaining 345 hospitals have yet to implement the schemes.
Pune: The Maharashtra government will make empanelment under central and state health schemes mandatory for all charitable hospitals after reviewing the legal framework and ensuring transparency in the utilisation of funds meant for poor patients, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Responding to a question raised by MLA Bhimrao Tapkir, Fadnavis said charitable hospitals had earlier expressed reluctance to implement schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY), citing low package rates. “The package rates have now been revised and increased. These hospitals are expected to implement the schemes as per the revised rates and provisions of law,” he said.
According to officials, Maharashtra has 479 charitable hospitals registered under the Public Trusts Act, 1950, but only 134 have been empanelled, while the remaining 345 hospitals have yet to implement the schemes. These hospitals receive concessions such as subsidised land, floor space index (FSI), and tax and utility benefits, in return for providing free or subsidised treatment to economically weaker patients.
The state’s law and judiciary department had issued a government resolution on April 21, 2025, removing the earlier voluntary provision and making participation in government schemes mandatory. These include PM-JAY, MJPJAY and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), which provide free treatment to eligible patients.
Hindustan Times had highlighted the issue in a news report on July 15, 2025, titled ‘Charitable hospitals in Pune oppose mandatory government health schemes’ that the Association of Hospitals (AOH), Pune, had filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court on 14, 2025, challenging the decision, citing financial and operational difficulties.
Fadnavis said the court has not granted any stay on the implementation. “The high court has asked the law and judiciary department to hear the hospitals’ representation. According to the amended provisions, the schemes must be implemented mandatorily. However, now that the case is for a hearing, further action will be taken as per the law,” he said.
Under the Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) scheme, introduced following Bombay High Court directions in September 2006, charitable hospitals are required to allocate two per cent of their gross billing for free or discounted treatment of indigent patients and reserve beds for them. However, the Chief Minister told the house that there was a lack of transparency in the utilisation of these funds. “Hospitals treat their own patients and show them as beneficiaries under the IPF scheme. We have also found that treatment tariffs are often high and hospitals later claim that the IPF funds are exhausted,” he said.
Fadnavis said the government would introduce amendments during the ongoing session to strengthen monitoring and ensure accountability. “Amendments will be made to ensure that IPF funds are utilised transparently. Charitable hospitals will be required to declare base treatment rates and package costs,” he said, adding that the changes would allow better tracking of utilisation and compliance.
In 2023, the state government expanded the MJPJAY scheme, making it universal and increasing treatment coverage from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh per family annually. Under PM-JAY, beneficiaries are also entitled to coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year. Maharashtra administers both schemes in an integrated manner. Additionally, in November 2025, the state increased the number of medical procedures covered under the schemes from 1,352 to 2,399 and revised package rates. This move aimed to encourage hospital participation and improve access to free treatment for eligible patients.
