Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader has said the state government is committed to ensuring transparency in treatment costs and medicine pricing at private hospitals, stressing that medical expenses should not push families into debt or financial distress.
After meeting representatives of private hospital managements in Bengaluru, Khader outlined key measures aimed at improving transparency and protecting patients from excessive healthcare costs.
Hospitals asked to display treatment charges
The minister said private hospitals must prominently display their schedule of treatment charges as mandated under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act. The government is seeking compliance to ensure patients are informed about treatment costs before undergoing medical procedures.
Medicine pricing under scrutiny
Khader said hospitals had been asked to pass on the benefits of discounted medicine procurement to patients. The government has requested that hospitals mention the actual purchase cost of medicines alongside the maximum retail price (MRP) on patient bills.
The move is aimed at improving transparency in medicine pricing and enabling patients to understand the charges levied by hospitals.
30% trade margin cap for cancer drugs
Highlighting Karnataka’s efforts to address excessive mark-ups on cancer medicines, the minister said special verification drives had found instances in which some hospitals billed drugs and consumables at 10 to 52 times their purchase cost.
Following the directions of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Khader said he had written to the Union health minister and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), seeking action at the national level. The issue of excessive trade margins was also raised before the Supreme Court, he added.
According to Khader, the NPPA has approved in principle a 30% cap on trade margins for non-scheduled cancer drugs. The proposed measure is expected to help reduce the financial burden on cancer patients.
Cardiac and kidney medicines next
The state government is also examining the pricing of medicines used to treat heart and kidney diseases to ensure that patients are not subjected to excessive charges for essential, life-saving drugs.
Emphasising that healthcare is a service to society, Khader called on private hospitals and other stakeholders to work with the government to ensure quality treatment at fair and transparent prices.
