ANSWER: Both a and b
Explanation:
After giving relief to heart patients in February earlier this year by capping stent prices, this decision is likely to give relief to lakhs of patients suffering from old age and knee related problems.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar briefed the media on the price capping and said that Rs 1500 crore spent by patients will now be saved.
As per the NPPA notification, the standard and most widely used complete knee implant (cobalt chromium) has been capped at INR 54,720 + GST.
The price has been reduced by 65 per cent. Hospitals were, until now, charging upto INR 1,58,324.
Total knee implant of special metals like Titanium and oxidised Zirconium has been capped at INR 76,600 + GST.
Hence, there is a reduction in price by 69 per cent. Earlier, the hospitals were charging upto INR 2,49,251.
Highly flexible implants have been capped at INR 56,490 + GST, which has seen a 69 per cent reduction. Hospitals used to charge upto INR 1,81,728 for such implants.
Second knee implant surgery would cost INR 1,13,950 + GST, hence there has been 59 per cent reduction.
It used to cost INR 2,76,869 earlier.
The NPPA has made it clear that no healthcare institutions such as hospitals/nursing-homes/clinics performing orthopedic surgical procedures using knee implants shall solicit any patient to purchase knee implants from it, in case, the patient is interested in procuring such implant from any other third-party sources.
In case the manufacturer supplies/sells knee implants directly to the orthopedic healthcare institutions, without involvement of any distributor, then the maximum trade margin for hospitals/nursing homes/clinics shall be restricted at 16 per cent.
