How to demand packaging of medical devices

I live in Sarita Vihar near Appollo and we have family from West Bengal that comes and stays with me when they have to get treated in Appollo or Escorts so medical subject is regular discussion at home.

Recently I came to know that medical devices by law now must have MRP. The question I have is is there a process by which a patient can demand hospitals give me the packaging of equipment or drugs given to a patient.

Do mrp inspectors visit these hospitals to ensure these medical devices and drugs are being sold at mrp only to patients?

Kindly share. more  

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Normally hospitals charge as per their own Price list. If you match MRP with Hospital price, you found it always on higher side. Bigger hospital more margin. more  
Hospitals make over 1700% Profits on Procedures and the profits from medicines and other medical and non medical aides add or supplement this profit. At one point of time almost 80% of Higher Education Centers were directly or indirectly owned by Politicians. I wouldn't be surprised if the same is not the case with Hospitals too. Besides the Appolo's, Medanta's, Fortis & Max Group...there are several small & big Hospitals ( Non Government) which cater to ever increasing population. The Young Intern Doctors too open up their own clinics after a few years of working under a senior. When a MRP Inspectors would hardly dare to question a clinic or hospital where VVIP connection powers their profiteering as there is adequate provision for commissions to such Inspectors too in their annual budget. There have been cases where Hospitals have asked the household members to get life saving costly medicines for patients who are already dead. These medicines just go back to the source from where it is procured for re-sale. There is bound to be rackets galore if one just digs a little. more  
MRP of big ticket items billed by the hospital can be verified with the publicly available information on the Internet on so many portals rather than from the printed information on the packages or wrappings which is not practical.If the amount charged by the hospital is more, it should be taken up with them immediately for reduction. But services like nursing, oxygen or any other support services can not be questioned and varies from hospital to hospital. Private hospitals anyway will make profits by jacking up the service charges. more  
A person whose family member is admitted in ICU would hardly sit to google the prices of medicines that are handed out to them for life saving procedures. more  
I feel doctors are the poor class of people who have to face the wrath of the citizens for the misdeeds of the politicians and other hospital authorities specially in Govt hospitals. The medicines are procured by the procurement department and the doctors have to prescribe the medicines generally being procured by a procurement department. Referring to few suggestions like opening of the package before the patient prior to surgery procedure is practically not possible as to whether the patient or the attendant would be able to see the packages for noting down MRP or just keeping those packages in his hand wherever the patient is being moved for procedure or post procedure. It is an impractical suggestion. The only enforcement can be done by few surprise visits of the relevant inspectors who could check at randon sample of invoices with purchase bills or the insurance companies and TPAs could be best agencies who can always cross check. No one has any authority to question why higher prices are being charged as long as the charges prices are less than or equal to MRP. There is no legislation which debars any agency to cap the profit margin. When the Govt cannot control the profits being made by Ambani, Adani Group how can we control fee etc. being charged by Doctors or the room rent being charged by hospital when there is no control how much room rent being charged in any hotel. Have we been able to control the fee being charged by Advocates. It is heard that the advocates are even charging fee of lakhs of rupees per hearing basis that too in advance and that too whether the case has been adjourned or the judge has gone on leave and hence even no hearing. In Govt. hospitals in Delhi, doctors have no control on the prescribed medicines as the procurement is done by the centralised procurement department and the patients are not charged for the medicines. The only course to address such menace could be done by the Government through upgrading the facilities at Govt hospitals. Let the patients go to Govt hospitals instead of private hospitals as it is not fair to demand for capping the fee etc. at private hospitals as they are also require to look at return on investment. more  
treatment to be given and medicines to be administered will not change according to economic status of the patient. It is only doctors attitude that changes depending upon the currency notes affluent hold in their pocket. majority of the doctors who paid large sums to aquire the qualification, naturally look to recover their investment as early as possible together with interest. This makes them to charfge high from the haves rather than havenots. more  
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