Cap trade margins on hospital medical consumables in India!
The Issue
When my loved one was admitted to the hospital, our focus was entirely on their recovery. In those critical moments, no family cross-checks every charge—you simply swipe your card. It was only later, when reviewing the itemized discharge bill, that the reality hit: basic medical consumables like syringes, IV drip sets, and routine injections were billed at massive markups.
This is not an isolated experience; it affects millions of Indian families across private healthcare. The core issue lies in the massive gap between PTR (Price to Retailer/procurement cost) and the printed MRP:
1. Supreme Court Record: The Supreme Court recently questioned why a cancer medicine supplied to trade for ₹2,700 carried a printed MRP of ₹27,000, asking why reasonable trade margin caps should not apply across all medical items.
2. State Regulatory Findings: Karnataka FDA inspections uncovered an injection bought for ₹86 carrying an MRP of ₹4,528. Maharashtra FDA noted an IV set bought for ₹11.05 carrying an MRP of ₹325.
3. Benchmarks vs Reality: Standard government CGHS rates price basic consumables at ₹15 to ₹25, yet private billing frequently marks them up by 10x to 20x legally, because regulations currently permit billing up to the printed MRP.
Doctors and hospitals incur real infrastructure and 24x7 operational expenses. However, funding overheads by allowing manufacturers to print artificially inflated MRPs on basic consumables places an unfair, hidden burden on patients who cannot bargain or compare prices outside an ICU.
What We Are Demanding:
1. Universal Trade Margin Capping: Mandate a strict ceiling on trade margins (e.g., capped at 30% above PTR) for all hospital consumables and non-scheduled medicines.
2. Alignment with CGHS Benchmarks: Standardize hospital consumable rates in line with established public healthcare benchmarks.
3. Transparent Pre-Admission Disclosures: Ensure patients receive itemized estimates upfront and are allowed the option to procure verified supplies externally where feasible.
Healthcare is a basic necessity, and billing transparency is every patient's right. Please sign and support this petition to urge the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) and the Ministry of Health to enforce universal price capping on medical consumables.
73
The Issue
When my loved one was admitted to the hospital, our focus was entirely on their recovery. In those critical moments, no family cross-checks every charge—you simply swipe your card. It was only later, when reviewing the itemized discharge bill, that the reality hit: basic medical consumables like syringes, IV drip sets, and routine injections were billed at massive markups.
This is not an isolated experience; it affects millions of Indian families across private healthcare. The core issue lies in the massive gap between PTR (Price to Retailer/procurement cost) and the printed MRP:
1. Supreme Court Record: The Supreme Court recently questioned why a cancer medicine supplied to trade for ₹2,700 carried a printed MRP of ₹27,000, asking why reasonable trade margin caps should not apply across all medical items.
2. State Regulatory Findings: Karnataka FDA inspections uncovered an injection bought for ₹86 carrying an MRP of ₹4,528. Maharashtra FDA noted an IV set bought for ₹11.05 carrying an MRP of ₹325.
3. Benchmarks vs Reality: Standard government CGHS rates price basic consumables at ₹15 to ₹25, yet private billing frequently marks them up by 10x to 20x legally, because regulations currently permit billing up to the printed MRP.
Doctors and hospitals incur real infrastructure and 24x7 operational expenses. However, funding overheads by allowing manufacturers to print artificially inflated MRPs on basic consumables places an unfair, hidden burden on patients who cannot bargain or compare prices outside an ICU.
What We Are Demanding:
1. Universal Trade Margin Capping: Mandate a strict ceiling on trade margins (e.g., capped at 30% above PTR) for all hospital consumables and non-scheduled medicines.
2. Alignment with CGHS Benchmarks: Standardize hospital consumable rates in line with established public healthcare benchmarks.
3. Transparent Pre-Admission Disclosures: Ensure patients receive itemized estimates upfront and are allowed the option to procure verified supplies externally where feasible.
Healthcare is a basic necessity, and billing transparency is every patient's right. Please sign and support this petition to urge the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) and the Ministry of Health to enforce universal price capping on medical consumables.
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 21 October 2026