A fresh PIL will be filed by the Delhi-based advocate Birender Sangwan at Delhi High Court (HC) on January 27, 2018 if the government fails in framing a policy for rationalising the cost of angioplasty procedures in hospitals across the country. This will be the 6th PIL in a row towards bringing down the high cost of angioplasty procedures, a practice rampant in the country at the point of care since the past several years.
Earlier PILs filed by Advocate Sangwan had led to capping of prices of cardiac stents in February 14 last year through a government notification.
The landmark verdict based on the PIL was a huge relief for many cardiac patients across the country as the ceiling price of bare metal stents was brought down to Rs. 7,260 from Rs. 45,000; and that of drug eluting stents were fixed at Rs. 29,600 from about a whopping Rs. 1.2 lakh.
A meeting was recently conducted by the health ministry, Delhi government and Indian Medical Association (IMA) for the implementation of the CE act.
January 26, 2018, the deadline stipulated by the Delhi HC towards framing a policy of rationalising the cost of angioplasty procedures in the hospitals, is drawing near as per the Delhi HC directive. The responses and discussions will also be shared with National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) and Delhi Government.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar of Delhi HC had earlier directed the union health ministry to control the rate of operation charges, doctors' visiting charges, nursing charges and to draft a policy within four months for controlling the rates of all these services.
The patients are charged between Rs. 2.16 lakh to Rs. 2.39 lakh as angioplasty package which is a huge cost despite the fact that government through a notification on February 14, 2017 had fixed ceiling prices of cardiac stents with bare metal stents cost being brought down to Rs. 7,260 from Rs. 45,000 and that of drug eluting stents at Rs. 29,600.
The petitioner advocate Birender Sangwan had also earlier filed PILs against 18 hospitals at Delhi HC for violation of ceiling prices fixed for coronary stents.
Following the HC directive, Delhi government is also planning to implement the CE Act to control angioplasty charges in cardiac care centres.
Reports of hospital bills where patients were overcharged revealed that either stent price is not mentioned in the medical bill or billing is made in the name of angioplasty charges or cath lab charges and also brand name of the stents and company’s name is not mentioned with the intention of profiteering.