Rs 11 IV Set, Rs 325 MRP Highlight Medical Consumable Pricing Concerns

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has flagged steep markups on medical consumables used in hospitals, highlighting how large differences between procurement prices and printed maximum retail prices (MRP) can add to patients’ hospital bills.

In a post on X, Mundhe cited findings from a survey of hospital consumables in Maharashtra. According to the figures he shared, an IV infusion set procured at a trade price of Rs 11.05 carried a printed MRP of Rs 325, representing a markup of about 2,841 per cent. A syringe purchased at Rs 6.75 had an MRP of Rs 57.20, while a catheter bought for Rs 29.41 carried an MRP of Rs 310.

Mundhe said patients receiving treatment often have limited ability to determine whether the price of a medical consumable reflects its actual cost or a markup established earlier in the supply chain. Unlike ordinary purchases, patients admitted to hospitals generally cannot compare prices or easily seek alternatives while receiving medical care. He described the information gap surrounding such pricing as a public health issue.

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According to Mundhe, the pricing structure is also linked to a regulatory gap. Scheduled medicines are subject to price controls under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, while many medical devices and consumables fall outside the same framework. He argued that this leaves significant differences between trade procurement prices and declared MRPs without a comparable level of monitoring.

Mundhe said a review of the findings and the introduction of clear guidelines on the permissible difference between trade procurement prices and declared MRPs have been recommended to the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). Such measures, he said, could address both the pricing disparity and the lack of information available to patients about the costs of consumables used during treatment.

The issue comes amid wider scrutiny of healthcare expenses and out-of-pocket medical costs. Mundhe has also been involved in enforcement and public interventions concerning pricing and quality standards in Maharashtra's healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. The latest concerns place greater focus on how medical consumables are priced across the supply chain and the extent to which those costs are ultimately reflected in hospital bills.

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