SATHI creates state-wide momentum for patients’ rights in private healthcare
The private healthcare sector in India has gone largely unchecked and unregulated, even as it continues to exploit and bankrupt thousands of disadvantaged patients across the country. The need to ensure patients rights, regulation of private hospitals, and standardization of medical treatments was never more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic, which wrought widespread suffering and havoc. Yet, the central or state governments have not made sufficient efforts to address these issues. A majority of patients remain uninformed of the vital details of their medical procedures, to the costs they are expected to shell out, and are left with no way to report grievances when medical malpractice or overcharging occurs.
In light of this perilous situation, the team at SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives) is working to advocate for patients in the private healthcare system, and to make them aware of their legal rights and entitlements. To this end, between March to August 2025, SATHI conducted workshops and held dialogues between private healthcare providers and community representatives. Across Mumbai, Nashik, Solapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts, SATHI worked with government officials, citizen groups, activists, and organizations like the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Hospitals Owners’ Association to promote compliance to medical standards and provide mechanisms for grievance redressal. These patient forums enabled citizens to engage with private healthcare representatives to ensure accountability. Rugn Hakk Samitis were formed in Nashik, Ratnagiri, Kudal, and Chiplun, and in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, three local workshops were held in collaboration with local citizens groups like the Awaaz-e-Niswan, Mariz Hakka Abhiyan, and KGVF.
These meetings with local officials and visits to hospitals emphasized the need for private healthcare centers to comply with the Patients Rights Charter (2021), ensuring the right to medical information, informed consent, second opinion, rate transparency, among others. Forty eight hospitals across the state were visited to check mandatory displays of Patients’ Rights Charters, rate cards, and complaint numbers.
How Bridging the Gap Between Patients and Private Healthcare Leads to Transformative Impact
One of the biggest impacts of SATHI’s campaign was the setting up of the Patient Support Helpline, a statewide information and facilitation platform for economically vulnerable patients. The helpline assisted patients in availing government health schemes like MJPJAY, MPJAY, consulting grievance redressal mechanisms, and accessing low-cost medication. Through phone-based counseling, between January to September 2025, SATHI was able to connect over 210 callers with Aarogya Mitras, charity departments, and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). This resulted in an estimated savings of 33 lakh rupees (approx 37000 dollars) for vulnerable patients.
The larger impact of this helpline was in how it brought state schemes and support mechanisms to those who need them the most. When private health care actors do not work in the best interests of the vulnerable, the role of SATHI in bridging the gap between the disadvantaged patient and the existing support structures is invaluable. Besides the obvious economic benefits, patients begin to trust in the efficacy of government schemes and go to them in their time of need.
Patient Testimonials
