the goan I network
PANAJI
According to a notification issued on December 21, 2016, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers under the Department of Pharmaceuticals amended Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to include Bare Metal Stents (BMS) and Drug Eluting Stents (DES) under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013. DES includes metallic DES and bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) or biodegradable stents.
By doing so, these stents were brought under Schedule I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, thus forcing price regulation on these stents.
Currently, the Zience pro drug eluting stent manufactured by Abbott Vascular in the US costs Rs 26,250, while the Integrity bare metal stent manufactured by Medtronic Inc, USA is available for Rs 12,660. Indian manufactured Osum bare metal stent by Meril Lifesciences costs Rs 12,600, and the bare metal stent manufactured by Shajanand Medical is priced at Rs 10,000.
While the rest of India is celebrating the decision, it seems to make little or no difference to Goa where the majority of angioplasty operations are conducted at the government-run Goa Medical College (GMC).
According to Dr Shekar Salkar, president of Goa Medical Council and doctor at Manipal Hospitals, getting prices under control will definitely benefit the local populace.
“This decision is a good one as it will bring down prices, which will in turn be a great relief to low income groups. Right now in GMC, they are given low grade stents. If people want a better quality stent, they have to pay for it. With this decision, patients can pay less and get good quality stents.
