Hospitals told to display stent cost

MUMBAI: The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has directed hospitals to specify the cost of cardiac stents and information about its make in bills to patients at the time of discharge. It has told hospitals to prominently display details about the price of cardiac stents online and offline.

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had fixed prices of cardiac stents at Rs30,000. FDA commissioner Pallavi Darade said the move was aimed at increasing consumer awareness as many patients were unaware of the price ceiling.

“The benefit of price cap must reach patients,” she said. She added that hospitals found charging more extra would be liable to deposit the excess amount along with interest.

Hospitals have to mention all information, including brand, expiry date, batch number and name of importer, about cardiac stents on their website’s homepage.