Centre Acknowledges Hospital Overcharging and Proposes Price Caps on Anti-Cancer Drugs

The Centre acknowledged in a Supreme Court affidavit that hospitals charge exorbitant prices for medicines and medical consumables, with anti-cancer drug markups ranging from 170% to 700%.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers attributed the pricing discrepancy to the unequal bargaining power and limited information of patients compared to healthcare providers.

The government proposed capping trade margins on non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30%, which could reduce prices by 20% to 70% and save ₹2,500 crore annually.