{
  "id": 8233378,
  "title": "In India’s private hospitals, MRP means ‘Manipulated Raised Price’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/in-indias-private-hospitals-mrp-means-manipulated-raised-price",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-18T11:06:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/in-indias-private-hospitals-mrp-means-manipulated-raised-price-10883821/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent analysis reveals that private hospitals in India are inflating prices of medical items by as much as 400 times their actual cost. A drip set that costs hospitals Rs 11 is marked for sale at Rs 325, while a syringe bought for less than Rs 7 is priced at Rs 57. These exorbitant mark-ups were detailed by Tukaram Mundhe, the Commissioner of Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who has called for limiting such mark-ups. An audit of critical patients' bills in private hospitals across Maharashtra found that not a single medicine brand was charged within the 10 per cent markup limit set during the pandemic. Some medicines saw patients paying over 150 per cent above the actual procurement cost, with paracetamol drips billed at Rs 408 compared to a procurement price of Rs 33. The most common mark-up ranges from 200 to 400 per cent, meaning hospitals charge patients three to five times their procurement rates. The situation with consumables is even more alarming, with drip sets bought for Rs 12 often billed at Rs 160 or even Rs 270, and oxygen masks costing Rs 55 being charged up to Rs 570. This profiteering has been going on despite a 2016 recommendation from a Department of Pharmaceuticals committee to cap trade margins on medicines and implants between 35 per cent and 50 per cent. State FDA's can now require private hospitals to disclose both the procurement price and the charged price for medicines and consumables above a certain value, pushing hospitals to offer substantial discounts or encouraging patients to seek alternatives. The central government should extend price regulation to all essential medicines and medical consumables, extending beyond the current 18 per cent coverage. Patients have a right to purchase medicines from any licensed chemist, which they should exercise to seek more affordable options. Until these measures are implemented, the term \"MRP\" in private hospitals will continue to signify \"Manipulated Raised Price\".",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}