Mumbai, Oct. 17 -- Patients visiting private hospitals across Maharashtra will have to be provided easier access to information on treatment costs, with the state government directing hospitals and other clinical establishments to prominently display their rates in Marathi and English. A circular issued by the Public Health Department on Friday requires establishments to keep their rate lists visible, update them whenever charges change and help patients understand service charges and treatment packages. The directive comes as the Maharashtra Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2026, remains under consideration and awaits scrutiny by a Joint Select Committee of the state legislature. The government has issued the circular under existing provisions of the Maharashtra Nursing Homes Registration Act and Rules, 2021, rather than waiting for the proposed legislation to be passed. Hospitals must display their charges at clearly visible and accessible locations on their premises, the circular states. Registration desks, enquiry counters and billing counters must help patients and their relatives access and understand the information to reduce confusion and billing-related complaints. Institutions treating foreign patients arriving on medical or AYUSH visas must also clearly display the special package rates applicable to them, the circular states. The directive follows a communication from the Union Health Ministry dated October 12, 2026. Civil surgeons, district health officers and municipal medical officers of health have been asked to monitor compliance. The authorities must periodically review whether hospitals are following the directions and take appropriate administrative or legal action against establishments that violate the rules. The proposed Maharashtra Clinical Establishments Bill, tabled during the state legislature's monsoon session in July, contains similar provisions. It has been referred to a Joint Select Committee comprising members of both Houses. Section 11 of the Bill proposes that clinical establishments display the rates ordinarily charged for their principal services, facilities, procedures and investigations at a conspicuous place on their premises. The proposed legislation further states that hospitals cannot charge more than the rates displayed for services rendered. Patients would have to receive itemised bills. A Public Health Department official said the circular would enable immediate implementation of the rate-display requirement while the Bill and the rules to be framed under it go through the legislative process. However, Dr Avinash Bhondwe, former president of the Indian Medical Association, said displaying every possible charge could be challenging, especially when additional procedures or services become necessary during treatment....