State Public Hospitals to Be Rated Under New Five-Star System

A five-star rating system for 623 hospitals functioning under Maharashtra's Public Health Department has been introduced by the state government to improve the quality, transparency and accountability of public healthcare services. The initiative has been announced through a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday. The system has been designed to help citizens understand the quality of services offered at government hospitals while encouraging healthcare institutions to improve their overall performance.

The new evaluation framework has been developed to strengthen public healthcare delivery through improved infrastructure, greater adoption of digital initiatives and measurable quality standards. Public hospitals, particularly those serving rural and remote areas, have been recognised as a key part of the state's healthcare network. Through the rating mechanism, hospital performance is expected to become more transparent and easier for citizens to assess.

Hospitals will be evaluated across five broad parameters: service availability and responsiveness; diagnostic facilities and availability of essential medicines; hospital efficiency; quality of medical services; and patient facilities along with citizen feedback. These parameters have been divided into ten measurable criteria, including specialist services, attendance of doctors and staff, availability of medicines, use of laboratory, X-ray and ECG facilities, outpatient attendance, bed occupancy, number of deliveries and major surgeries, cleanliness, patient amenities and overall patient satisfaction.

Each criterion will be assessed on a binary scale as either "complete" or "incomplete." Hospitals will receive either zero or half a star for every benchmark achieved, and the total score will determine an overall rating ranging from zero to five stars. Hospitals meeting all ten benchmarks will receive the highest five-star rating, while those failing to meet any criterion will receive zero stars. Separate benchmarks will be prescribed for different categories of hospitals to ensure fair assessment according to their functions and capacities.

Ratings will be announced twice every year, in January and August, after physical inspections and analysis of institutional data collected since the previous evaluation. Hospitals securing four stars or more will receive recognition certificates as an incentive for maintaining high standards of healthcare delivery.

The star rating system will be implemented across 623 government healthcare institutions in Maharashtra, including district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, rural hospitals, women's hospitals, general hospitals, referral hospitals and Employees' State Insurance (ESI) hospitals. The initiative is expected to encourage healthy competition among public hospitals, improve patient experience and strengthen public confidence in the state's healthcare system.