Minister urges Centre to regulate critical medicine prices

CH NEWS, MANGALURU

Health Minister U.T. Khader has urged the Central Government to introduce a law to control excessive profits on critical medicines sold in private hospitals. Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Khader said the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority currently regulates only scheduled medicines. He said this allows companies to charge very high prices for medicines outside the price-controlled list. He gave the example of an injection that costs ₹5,000 but is being sold for ₹60,000. He said a course of 12 such injections, which should cost around ₹70,000 to ₹80,000, is being charged at up to ₹7.5 lakh. Khader said the state government does not have direct powers to regulate medicine prices. The government has therefore submitted a report and written to the Centre, seeking the inclusion of all life-saving medicines under price control. He said inspections of injections and implants are underway and a study of 186 high-end branded medicines will be taken up. He added that the Supreme Court has also taken a serious view of the issue. The minister also announced a QR code system for complaints about food quality in hotels, hostels and PGs. People can scan the code and submit complaints with photographs. Officials will be required to inspect the location and submit a report. Khader said adequate snakebite antivenom stocks were available at PHCs, taluk hospitals and district warehouses. Plans are also being prepared to introduce cold storage for snakebite medicines in 108 ambulances. A national meeting of senior Food and Drug Department officials will be held in Bengaluru on November 15 to discuss food and drug quality and responsibilities of the Centre and states.