New Delhi: Cardiac stent has been here for a long period of time, but there is no clarity on how much the life-saving device should cost. A report published in the Times of India said, the price of a Drug-Eluting Stents (DES) is charged much higher by its dealers than its original price.
A stent is a tiny wire mesh tube which is used to keep coronary arteries of the heart open and reduce the chances of a heart attack.
The price at which the dealers bring this stents starts from Rs 20,000 and goes up to Rs 40,000 but the same item is sold to the patients at price ranging four to five times higher. The dealer price includes original cost of the item, brokerage, logistics fees, shipping costs, custom duties etc.
The rate fixed by the Maharashtra health ministry under the Rajiv Gandhi health scheme for the poor in February 2014 and by the Centre for the CGHS in April last year was Rs 23,625 for these stents. Likewise, the central government employees who come under Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) are also provided at this rate.
But the reality is that only a small percentage of people could actually get these benefits. According to a report, every year in India more than six lakh heart patients undergo angioplasty. While all of them don't need stents, some of them require two or even three stents.
In such a scenario India has become one of the biggest markets for the stents and the demand for it is on the rise. The dealers increase the price of the stents in the name of handling charges which they generally charge from the patients.
