A state government survey has uncovered staggering price markups on everyday hospital consumables, with some items being sold to patients at nearly 29 times their procurement cost, prompting Maharashtra’s FDA chief to call for urgent price regulation.
The Numbers Behind The Markup
According to the Maharashtra State Price Monitoring Resource Unit under the state Food and Drugs Administration, an IV set costing Rs 11 to procure is sold to bedridden patients at Rs 325, a margin of over 2,800 percent. A 10 ml syringe priced at Rs 6.75 was found retailing at Rs 57.20, marking a 747 percent markup, while an IV cannula costing Rs 22.50 was sold for Rs 424, nearly 19 times its base price. A nebuliser mask procured at Rs 40 was billed to patients at Rs 715, a markup of 1,687 percent.
What The Survey Examined?
The survey covered devices commonly used in inpatient departments, including IV sets, syringes, nebuliser oxygen masks and other consumables, and found disparities between procurement cost and printed MRP running as high as 29 times across categories. Mediplus Haryana’s Medifusion IV set showed a realised margin of 2,841 percent, while a rival brand, Lyvofusion, showed margins of 2,091 percent. A standard syringe from Lifelong Meditech and needles from Romson were also flagged for selling well above procurement cost. An adult nebuliser mask kit from Vinjoh Healthcare, priced at Rs 45, was sold to patients for Rs 652, while a catheter from Ribbel was sold at over 10 times its purchase price of Rs 29.41.
The FDA Commissioner’s Response
Calling the pricing pattern completely irrational and unjustified, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe wrote to the Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, pointing out that the initial procurement cost already accounts for a manufacturer’s production, development, marketing, distribution and profit margins. He noted that hospitalised patients possess zero bargaining power in inpatient settings, given they critically need these non negotiable consumables during active treatment.
The Regulatory Gap
Mundhe has called for common inpatient surgical consumables to be brought under the Drugs Prices Control Order, 2013, warning that the lack of strict statutory price caps under the current framework allows unchecked trade level profiteering, placing what he called an unnecessary, severe and unjust financial burden on the public.
Among his recommendations, Mundhe has proposed an inter agency review along with administrative, legal or policy interventions such as capping trade margins, and strengthening monitoring systems to track pricing across the medical device supply chain. Whether the Centre acts on these suggestions will determine if patients see any relief from these markups going forward.
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Khushi Patel is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX, covering automotive, technology, Lifestyle, entertainment, and mainstream news. She previously worked as a Copy Editor at Times Network and has written automotive editorial content, including comparison pieces, for TimesDrive.
