Hindustan Times: Mumbai: Wednesday,
March 01, 2017.
Birender
Sangwansays he will file applications asking for a cap on 14 more medical
devices under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.(Getty Images)
Birender
Sangwan, the Delhi advocate whose complaints and Public Interest Litigation
(PIL) got the government to cap stent prices, says he will file applications
asking for a cap on 14 more medical devices under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
What prompted
you to file a complaint about overcharging stent prices, with the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare?
Back in 2014,
my friend’s brother had an angioplasty done and was charged Rs 1.26 lakh just
for the stent. The total hospital bill was Rs3.30 lakh. I realised hospitals
were charging exorbitantly for stents and filed the complaint the same year.
But the
government’s move on capping prices came nearly three years after your
complaint...
The journey
wasn’t easy. We filed an RTI to understand the margins each entity was making.
In February 2015, we filed a PIL against overcharging. The government included
stents under the National List of Essential Medicines in July 2016. Finally,
after the second PIL, NPPA capped the prices.
Are you
looking at filing similar complaints with the ministry, to bring down charges
of other devices, for example, orthopedic implants?
Yes. We are
going to file complaints to bring down the cost of all 14 medical devices under
the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. We plan to file the complaints in the next two to
three months.
What are your
thoughts on the new fixed MRP on stents?
The new fixed
MRP is very well thought out. It is going to make angioplasty affordable for a
lot of people.
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