SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Bengaluru: Hospitals across Karnataka will have to provide patients with more detailed information about medicine prices and treatment charges from November 1, following new directions issued by the Health Department to bring greater transparency to medical billing.
Under the proposed system, hospitals must mention both the purchase price of medicines and their maximum retail price (MRP) in the bills issued to patients. The move is intended to help patients understand how much hospitals pay for medicines and how much they charge when supplying them during treatment.
The department has also made it mandatory for hospitals to display their official treatment rate lists in prominent public areas. The list should be placed where patients and visitors can easily see it, including near the registration counter. Details of the treatments and procedures offered, along with their prescribed charges, must be made accessible to the public.
Hospitals will be required to issue itemised medicine bills containing the name and brand of each drug, its batch number, manufacturing date and expiry date. The purchase price and MRP must also be recorded, allowing patients to compare the information and seek clarification about charges wherever necessary.
The new directions extend beyond medicines to medical equipment, stents and disposable medical supplies. Hospitals must maintain transparency in billing for these items by providing clear information about their procurement costs and the amounts charged to patients.
The Health Department has also emphasised the need to maintain proper documentation. Purchase invoices, procurement-price details and related billing records must be preserved for a minimum of three years. Drugs Control Department officials will be able to examine these records during inspections or whenever verification is required.
Hospitals that fail to comply with the directions could face legal action under the relevant provisions. District health officers, chief medical officers and officials of the Drugs Control Department will oversee implementation and compliance.
The instructions cover government-run, private and trust-operated hospitals throughout Karnataka. While the measures are intended to improve accountability and help patients make informed decisions about treatment costs, private hospitals have reportedly started raising objections to the new requirements.
The department’s decision comes amid concerns over the difficulty patients face in understanding hospital bills. By requiring disclosure of medicine purchase prices, MRPs and treatment rates, the government hopes to make billing more transparent and enable patients to question unexplained charges. Effective enforcement will be crucial to ensuring that hospitals follow the directions from the November 1 deadline.
SOURCE : SIASAT
