Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s legislature passed the Gujarat Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill 2026 without opposition this week, updating a 2021 law meant to keep unqualified practitioners out of clinics and hospitals.
Health Minister Praful Pansheriya introduced the bill. He said the original law’s core purpose was always the same: stop people with no medical qualifications from running practices. So far, around 41,000 provisional registrations and 2,000 permanent ones have gone through.
The problem was bureaucratic. Registration deadlines were hard-coded into the law April 30, 2026 for new registrations, September 12, 2026 for provisional ones which meant any extension required fresh legislation. The amendment fixes that by allowing the government to change deadlines through a gazette notification. Sections 9 and 18 have been amended accordingly.
Non-compliance carries real consequences. Fines run from ₹10,000 to ₹5 lakh. The authorities can also cancel a facility’s registration in cases of serious violations.
Pansheriya made clear that institutions sitting on unregistered status will face enforcement action. Mandatory registration, he said, is what allows patients to know whether the hospital or lab they’re walking into actually clears government standards and whether the person treating them is qualified.
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