3 min readAhmedabadMar 26, 2026 01:16 AM IST
The Gujarat Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed in the state Assembly on Wednesday without opposition. The Bill is aimed at making the registration and regulation process of medical institutions in the state simpler and more efficient.
While presenting the Bill, health minister Praful Pansheriya stated, “This law was enacted in 2021 to provide legal backing to doctors with proper medical qualifications in the state and to control the diagnosis and practice done by unqualified practitioners, and was implemented from September 13, 2022.”
He added, “Under this law, the registration of small clinics, multi-specialty hospitals and laboratories is mandatory. As of March 20, 2026, there are about 41,000 temporary and 2,000 permanent registrations.”
While speaking on the Bill, Congress Patan MLA Kirit Patel stated that the Bill had support from his party but questioned the need for a third amendment since 2022.
“The possible reasons could be lack of transparency and not taking the stakeholders into confidence. Health is the right of people and not a tool to generate revenue. At present, the government hospitals in the state have a high number of contractual doctors while there is no control over private hospitals. As the minister (Pansheriya) stated in his address that this law is to check fake doctors, but the state has no dearth of duplicates–from officers, courts to doctors. To my opinion this law is to benefit bigger hospitals,” Kirit Patel said.
To this, the minister responded, “This law and amendment bill is not for revenue generation or to threaten any doctor but for everyone’s benefit. We will soon launch a drive for registration so that the maximum number of clinical establishments are registered.”
The following amendments were made to the Act.
In section 9, the time limit for registration was until April 30, 2026. After the new amendment, the institutions will have to apply for registration within the time limit fixed by the state government through a notification in the gazette. This will eliminate the need for frequent amendments to the law.
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In section 18, regarding provisional registration, no provisional registration could be given after September 12, 2026. After the amendment, provisional registration will be closed only after the period specified by the state government through a notification.
The minister said, “If any clinical establishments fail to comply with it, then this law has made provision for a fine ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs5 lakh and steps including cancellation of registration. There is also a provision for penal action against medical institutions that do not get registered within the stipulated time frame.”
