Follow prices of stents, says Health ministry to hospitals

The Union health ministry has directed all hospitals, including privates ones, to follow its February notification on capping the prices of stents.

The move comes after the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir vide order dated May 8 directed the health ministry to issue a circular clearly indicating that all hospitals should abide by the notification.

The government on February 13 slashed by up to 85 per cent the prices of life-saving coronary stents, tiny metal tubes inserted into the narrowed coronary arteries.

In a circular addressed to the principal/health secretaries of all the states, the government directed them to "abide by the notification dated February 13 relating to the capping of prices of stents issued by the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers".

According to the notification, the ceiling price of bare metal stents has been fixed at Rs 7,260 per unit and that of drug eluting variety has been fixed at Rs 29,600 per unit.

A coronary stent is a tube-shaped device placed in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. It keeps the arteries open during the treatment of coronary heart diseases.

The move of the government is aimed at stopping the menace of over-pricing of coronary stents in various hospitals.