The controversy over the price of cardiac stents is once again in the limelight, months after the state health department cracked its whip on private hospitals for overcharging patients
The controversy over the price of cardiac stents is once again in the limelight, months after the state health department cracked its whip on private hospitals for overcharging patients.
On Thursday, Cabinet Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Food and Drugs Administration Girish Bapat warned private hospitals that it was a non-bailable offence to overcharge patients. In the legislative council, in reply to a question raised by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt, Bapat said, "Hospitals will not be spared for charging extra from patients for medical devices and medicines, and we will take stern actions against them."
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It was also stated that hospitals that already have complaints filed against them, are still repeatedly ignoring the norms and overcharging patients. Bapat further stated that if hospitals continue this practice, they will booked under the Essential Commodities Act, which is a non-bailable charge. Bapat also stated that the state is now preparing a base of patients who have undergone heart surgeries in private hospitals.
This comes after the National Pharma Pricing Authority (NPPA) slashed the prices of cardiac stent by 50% in January. The NPPA had also held a meeting with medical device manufacturers and importers to discuss the price.
The FDA is probing private hospitals for overcharging patients for balloon, catheters and other surgical instruments. "We had received complaints from NPPA against Lilavati and KEM hospitals. But upon inspection, we didn't find any loopholes," said FDA commissioner Harshadeep Kamble.
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