Medical fraternity welcomes move to stop hospitals from holding bodies over unpaid bills
They believe effective implementation is two-way as both hospitals & patients must uphold the spirit in which the decision was taken

Guwahati, July 11: In a move to uphold the dignity of the deceased, the Assam Cabinet on Thursday announced that private hospitals and nursing homes will no longer be allowed to withhold dead bodies over unpaid dues.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Cabinet has approved draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and regulatory guidelines to curb coercive practices by private healthcare facilities.
“Hospitals must hand over bodies within two hours of death certification, regardless of pending payments. Any delay beyond this timeframe may attract penal action, and incidents must be reported to the police and district health authority within four hours,” the Chief Minister shared on a microblogging platform.
He added that while hospitals can pursue legal action to recover dues, they cannot deny the family the right to perform last rites.
Violations will attract strict penalties - suspension of licence and a ₹5 lakh fine; and later, licence cancellation for repeated lapses.
Reacting to the decision, medical practitioners in Guwahati welcomed the move but said hospitals would now need to revisit their billing policies.
“Hospitals will need to review policies to ensure neither patients nor institutions face problems. Measures like advance payments may be introduced, but patient care must remain the priority,” said Dr Sashibha Barman, Deputy Medical Superintendent of Nemcare Hospitals.
Dr Pranab Baruah, Medical Superintendent of Peerless Hospital, pointed out that many NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals)-certified hospitals already accommodate families facing financial difficulties by accepting post-dated cheques or undertakings to clear dues later.
Both doctors stressed that patients’ families should not misuse this safeguard.
“The spirit of this decision must be respected — hospitals and patients must work together to ensure smooth and proper medical care,” Dr Barman added.
Baruah highlighted that the decision will spread awareness among people as well as bring about changes in hospitals.
“If there are hospitals that withhold bodies over pending dues, they will now be deterred from doing so,” Baruah said.
Dr Vandana Sinha, a critical care specialist, called the move humane. “As ICU doctors, we deal with end-of-life care daily. Dignity in death is the minimum we can ensure. The Chief Minister’s assurance that hospitals can take legal recourse balances everyone’s interests,” she said.
It can be said that the cabinet decision is consistent with Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which provides for the right to life and personal liberty which is inclusive of the right to health and medical assistance.
Earlier in May, the Pune Municipal Corporation issued a similar directive barring private hospitals from holding back bodies over unpaid bills.