After coronary stents, it is now time for the Government to put a cap on the prices of generic and cancer medicines, hip and knee implants are also on the prices of the intraocular lenses, said Dr GS Grewal and Dr Arun Mitra, former president and chairman, ethical panel of the Punjab Medical Council.
Under the umbrella of the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare, they have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that these medical devices and drugs are exorbitantly charged, making them out of reach to the poor.
“There is a practice of special ‘hospital rate’ and the ‘maximum retail price’, which is not only unethical but criminal also,” they said.
To corroborate their allegations, the Alliance has also attached ‘documented evidences’ as to how the drugs, particularly those for cancer and the knee and hip-replacement implants, were hugely priced, sometimes more than 200 per cent.
And the MRP mentioned on the drugs is sometimes even 2,000 per cent more than the actual price, they said adding that the prices should be fixed after full assessment of the cost and same should be mentioned on the drugs.
