Bring policy to stop fleecing of patients by pvt hospital pharmacies: SC to states

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 4

Noting that state governments have failed to ensure affordable medical care to the poor, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked them to introduce a policy to check overpricing of medicines and medical devices at private hospitals.

While hearing a PIL filed in 2018 by Siddharth Dalmia and another person, a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh said the states’ failure “facilitated and promoted private hospitals”.

Alleging that private hospitals were compelling patients and their families to buy medicines, implants and other items from in-house pharmacies that charged exorbitant mark-ups, the PIL sought direction to private hospitals not to compel patients to purchase only from hospital pharmacies.

The petitioners alleged also that the Centre and states failed to take necessary regulatory and correctional measures, leaving patients at the mercy of hospitals. While agreeing with the concerns raised by the petitioners, the top court said it was the duty of states to ensure proper medical care. “We dispose of this petition with direction to all state governments to consider this issue and take appropriate policy decisions as they deem fit,” the Bench noted in its order.

“In proportion to the population of the country, states have not been able to deliver requisite medical infrastructure to cater to the needs of all kinds of patients. The states have, therefore, facilitated and promoted private entities to come forward in the medical field, as a result of which numerous renowned hospitals well known for their specialties have been set up throughout the country… the state as well as the people largely depend on them,” it said.