Leaders of Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare address media at New Delhi

Ludhiana, January 3, 2017: Doctors, including Dr G S Grewal, Dr Arun Mitra, Dr S K Prabhakar, Dr Anil Pathak, Miss Aastha Chaudhary, Miss Madura and others of Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH), a national network of doctors committed to promoting ethical and rational health care, today addressed media persons at Press Club of India, New Delhi.
It may be mentioned here that ADEH is very active on the front of reforms in Medical Council of India, reforms in Medical Education and staunch critique of medical malpractices. Its core committee includes many eminent doctors like Dr Samiran Nundy (Director- Gangaram Hospital), Dr Sanjeeb Mukhopadhyay (Cardiologist, West Bengal), Dr G.S. Grewal (Former President, Punjab Medical Council), Dr Arun Mitra (Former Chairman, Ethics Committee of Punjab Medical Council& Senior Vice President Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD)), Dr Arun Gadre and Dr Abhay Shukla (Co-authors of widely acclaimed book on status of medical profession in India namely 'Dissenting Diagnosis'), Dr Sanjay Nagral (Gastro-enterologist, Mumbai), Dr Mirajkar (Genral Surgeon, Mumbai), Dr Shakeel Ur Rahman (Paediatrician and General Secretary Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) from Patna, Bihar).
Speakers at the press conference said, “We are seriously concerned about the affordability of healthcare to our population. The drugs and the consumables form 67% of the total out of pocket expenditure on health by the patients. Through earlier communications to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and the Drug Controller of India we had brought to their kind notice the issue of price of drugs particularly the anomaly in price of generic drugs.”
They added the price of stents, implants and drugs need a serious review since they are life saving product. It has been observed that many a times the stents are put in the rich and the affluent just for the sake of profit. For the poor the prices are already so high that they are unable to afford.
“Therefore this consultation with the NPPA has been of extreme importance”, they asserted. They said Stents form major cost of the Angioplasty and Stenting procedure. Various types of coronary stents are available with the cost ranging from Rs.24000/- to Rs.60000/-. But the MRP mentioned on the stent pack is several times higher thus giving huge profit.
Adding, they said this increases the cost to the patient. Whole purpose is that the patient is not made to pay excess cost and therefore following steps are suggested:
1. The seller should be given around 20% profit margin on the cost price. Thus the MRP should be around 20% higher than the cost price to the end customer.
2. The cost price quoted by the manufacturer should be calculated on the basis of the cost accountancy i.e actual cost involved in the profit making.
3. The price of each stent should be displayed in the reception counter of the facility putting stents.
4. Patient should be given choice of the stent with full scientific explanation.
5. The indigenous production should be encouraged and facilitated.
6. Import Duty and other taxes should be waived off (as of now these form about 25% on the cost).
7. The facility should give separate bill of the stent to the patient mentioning details of the make.
8. There should be regular audit of such facilities.
9. The manufacturers should put the details of their product on the website along with its cost.
10. The stents should be brought under Drug Price Control Order at par with the medicines.