Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Private hospitalisation costs nearly 8 times more than government hospitals
A group called LocalCircles asked many families in India about their hospital bills.
They found that staying in a private hospital costs about eight times more than staying in a government hospital.
A normal hospital stay cost about ₹50,508 in a private hospital but only ₹6,631 in a government one.
Having a baby in a private hospital also cost much more, around ₹37,630 compared to ₹2,299 in a public facility.
Most families said hospital treatment was too expensive.
Many also said tests, medicines, and rooms like the ICU cost too much.
Some families saw extra charges on their bills that they did not expect, like extra doctor consultation fees.
Only a small number of families said their bills had no problems at all.
The survey shows that paying for healthcare in India creates a lot of financial pressure on families.
Average private hospitalisation cost is ₹50,508 versus ₹6,631 in government hospitals — about 7.6 times higher.
Out-of-pocket childbirth expenditure averaged ₹37,630 in private hospitals versus ₹2,299 in public facilities.
A LocalCircles survey of 23,084 responses across 306 Indian districts found 68% faced excessively high treatment prices.
63% reported excessively high diagnostic test prices, while 56% cited excessive ICU or room facility charges.
Only 14% of surveyed families reported no billing issues; 40% faced unexpected or unknown charges and 40% reported overbilling of medicines and consumables.
- Who
- Families in India who used private hospital services, surveyed by LocalCircles (23,084 respondents across 306 districts).
- What
- A survey found private hospitalisation costs about 7.6 times more than government hospitals and highlighted widespread complaints about treatment, test, and billing practices.
- When
- The survey covered experiences from the previous three years; the cited NSS data is from January–December 2025 (80th Round).
- Where
- India, across 306 districts.
- Why
- High treatment, diagnostic test, facility, and medicine costs, along with questionable billing practices, create significant financial pressure on families.
- Average private hospitalisation cost
- ₹50,508
- Average government hospitalisation cost
- ₹6,631
- Cost difference
- ~7.6 times (nearly 8 times) higher in private hospitals
- Average private childbirth cost
- ₹37,630
- Average government childbirth cost
- ₹2,299
- Survey sample
- 23,084 responses from citizens across 306 districts of India
- Respondents citing high treatment prices
- 68%
- Respondents reporting no billing issues
- 14%