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HomePoliticsBJP govt's Valentine’s Day gift was reduced stent prices for your heart

BJP govt’s Valentine’s Day gift was reduced stent prices for your heart

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Union Minister Ananth Kumar confirms the announcement was deliberately made on 14 February, comments on Sangh outfits’ protests against V-day.

New Delhi:
The BJP-led government at the Centre finally seems to be admitting that Valentine’s Day is ultimately a matter of the heart, whatever its fellow affiliates of the Sangh Parivar such as the Bajrang Dal may say.

Time and again, Parivar outfits have expressed their displeasure about the celebration of 14 February as Valentine’s Day, terming it alien to Indian culture, and roughing up anyone they might think constitute a ‘couple’ in public places.

On the other hand, the government is trying its best to touch people’s hearts on Valentine’s Day – quite literally. Over the last couple of years, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, which comes under the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, has been reducing the price of coronary stents used by cardiac patients. It has announced the price reductions on 14 February each year.

The man in charge of the ministry, senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar, himself stated: “Two major decisions we took in NPPA were on 14 February. On the day of the heart, we touched hearts.”

Questioned about “others” protesting against Valentine’s Day, the minister, in a serious tone, replied: “Har dil ke khoon ka rang to ek hi hai (The colour of blood in every heart is the same).”

Making it affordable

Giving details of the price reduction, Kumar said: “We controlled the stent prices and put a cap on them. We capped drug-eluting stents at Rs 31,000 on 14 February 2017, and this year we further reduced the price to Rs 27,000. Earlier, the price of a drug-eluting stent was around 1.2 lakh.”

The minister said there are six crore cardiac patients in India, and approximately 5.5 lakh surgeries take place for stents each year. He said the number of surgeries has gone up by 1 to 1.5 lakh, as poor people can now get stents.

The ministry had received complaints that hospitals were overcharging for procedures, thereby making the cost for the patient unaffordable.

“The NPPA has issued notification to hospitals where they cannot overcharge, and will have to charge the same rates they were charging six months from the issue of the new prices. The punishment is revocation of licence, recovery of money with 18 per cent interest, and this could also lead to criminal prosecution,” added the minister.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Excellent work by government. It is so refreshing that a Government also thinks on such specific micro matters (toilets, gas cylinder to poor women, neemcoating of Urea fertilizer etc are other examples) rather than resting on the high pedestal of macro: ‘strategic vision’, ‘planning’ etc.

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