Health Groups Demand Regulation of Private Hospital Charges and Medicine Margins

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment called for statutory ceilings on private hospital procedure fees and medicine trade margins.

The groups stated that the absence of a uniform pricing mechanism leaves patients vulnerable to exorbitant bills, particularly during prolonged hospitalisations and multi-item procedures.

The demand follows recent Supreme Court scrutiny regarding steep markups in hospital pharmacies and hospital-linked purchasing mandates.