The Clinical Establishment Act (CEA) was enacted into law in 2012 after it was gazetted, following adoption by four state governments. Normally, the Central Government cannot legislate on state subjects such as Health. However, in view of the importance of regulating public health in the country, Article 47 of the Constitution was invoked to create a central law that is binding on all states. Over the last few years, several state governments have adopted the CEA. Tamil Nadu has also adopted the CEA, replacing the Tamil Nadu Private Clinic Establishment Act of 1997, which was pending as a bill in the assembly and awaiting implementation. However, for the purposes of this article, it will be referred to as an Act. The present Act has been modified to incorporate the CEA and is to be called the Tamil Nadu Clinical Establishments (Regulation) Act 1997 (TNPCEA 1997). It is applicable to all kinds of clinical establishments from the public and private sectors, of all recognized systems of medicine, including single-doctor clinics. The only exception will be establishments run by the Armed forces. The details of the Act, including definitions of terms, authorities, administration, and registration procedures, are available freely on the Clinical Establishment Act Website and in the official gazette notifications of the Tamil Nadu Government.