-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Contrary to the impression of an increased focus on health in the budget for 2018-19, not only has the overall allocation for health gone up only marginally over the revised estimates for the current year, the allocation for important programmes has actually been slashed. For instance, the allocation for the National Health Mission is down by 2.1% coming down from Rs 31,292 crore to Rs...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Even as stent prices have been capped, the cost of the three main consumables used in angioplasty have, in many cases, become even more expensive than stents as hospitals try to make up for the huge margins they lost on stents. The modus operandi is same as in the case of stents before the price cap. Though the consumables are bought at a third or less...

-The Times of India Almost a year after prices of cardiac stents were capped, an examination of bills from various hospitals shows that the extent to which it has brought down the total cost of an angioplasty depends on which hospital you go to. When the price of stents was capped at Rs 30,000 in February last year, the order had stated that the prices would be reviewed after one year. As...

-The Times of India This month, Kolkata-based Mr and Mrs Soubito Banerjee, who are in their 70s, saw their medical insurance premium almost double from Rs 32,000 to Rs 63,000. Chennai-based Annathai Gopalakrishnan (68) will pay Rs 58,000, up from Rs 29,000. In general, a health insurance cover of just Rs 5 lakh for a 65-year-old couple now costs Rs 84,000 per annum, as against Rs 54,000 five years ago. For...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The All India Syringes and Needles Manufacturers Association has issued a circular to its members to print the maximum retail price (MRP) on the basis of a maximum of 75% margin from December 24, which is observed as Consumer Day, and to implement this latest by January 26 next year.   It also wrote to all foreign manufacturers of syringes, urging them to join the effort to...