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Health Activists Seek Ceilings on Hospital Charges and Medicine Margins
Health groups say some private hospitals charge patients very high prices for care and supplies.
They want the government to set limits on hospital bills and the extra amounts charged for medicines and medical items.
One example they gave was a medicine that cost a hospital ₹180 but was sold to a patient for ₹950.
They also said some large hospital chains have high surpluses per bed.
The groups pointed to a law from 2010 that was meant to help regulate health facilities, but said it has not been put into effective practice.
The Supreme Court has also questioned high medicine prices in hospitals.
It has asked the government to look at rules for medicine trade margins.
The groups say patients should have clearer prices and more protection.
Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment urged the government to regulate private hospital charges and product mark-ups.
Abhay Shukla said daily bills at five leading corporate hospital chains averaged ₹60,500–₹73,000 in 2024–25, with some reaching nearly ₹78,000 in 2025–26.
The groups cited medicine and consumable mark-ups, including a medicine bought for ₹180 and billed at ₹950, and an IV set bought for about ₹11.50 and billed at ₹160.
They said the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, envisages government-determined charge ranges but has not been effectively implemented.
The Supreme Court has questioned steep medicine mark-ups and hospital-linked pharmacy requirements, and asked the government to examine trade-margin regulation.
- Who
- Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment, including co-convener Abhay Shukla.
- What
- They called for government-set ceilings on private hospital charges and regulation of margins on medicines and medical consumables.
- Where
- India.
- When
- The joint demand was reported on October 5, 2026; the groups said it was issued on Monday.
- Why
- They said patients face excessive, arbitrary charges and lack effective protection or recourse.
Activists’ position
Hospital-sector position
Regulating hospital charges
Activists’ position
JSA and the Working Group say hospital charges are excessive and arbitrary and want ceilings on charges for care and services.
Hospital-sector position
The articles report no response or counter-position from private hospitals.
Margins on medicines and supplies
Activists’ position
The groups say high mark-ups burden patients and want margins regulated, greater price transparency, and the option to buy supplies elsewhere where clinically possible.
Hospital-sector position
The articles report no response or counter-position from hospitals or medicine suppliers.
Key facts
- Hospital bills cited
- Average daily bills at five leading corporate chains were reported at ₹60,500–₹73,000 in 2024–25; some charges approached ₹78,000 a day in 2025–26.
- Estimated annual surplus
- Abhay Shukla estimated ₹22 lakh–₹32 lakh per bed annually at the cited chains, with Max Healthcare estimated at nearly ₹56 lakh per bed.
- Medicine example
- A medicine purchased for around ₹180 was reportedly supplied to patients for ₹950.
- Consumable example
- An IV set purchased for around ₹11.50 was reportedly billed at ₹160.
- Medicine-mark-up analysis
- An analysis of 46 medicines found median mark-ups of around 200–400%, according to Shukla.
- Relevant law
- The Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, provides a framework that envisages government-determined ranges of charges, but the groups said it has not been effectively implemented.
- Supreme Court scrutiny
- The court questioned a cancer medicine supplied at around ₹2,700 with an MRP of around ₹27,000 and asked the government to examine trade-margin regulation.
Quotes
Jyotsna Singh
Co-convener of the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatments.
“The MRP cannot become a licence to charge patients many times the procurement price. The government must urgently fix the trade margins on all medical products and ensure that patients are free to purchase medicines and consumables from outside wherever clinically possible.”
indianexpress.com
“Medicines and medical consumables are a particularly serious concern. These are being sold at 200, 300, 400 up to 1,000 per cent excessive margins. This needs to be urgently addressed.”
thehindubusinessline.com
Sources
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