It is vital that India’s health policies are based on the best available evidence-based research. Patients at government-run hospitals did not benefit significantly because stents were, in any case, available at below the effective price after capping. There is now empirical proof that the big drop in prices due to the policy did not significantly alter the growth rate of angioplasties across hospitals. In this context, our reliance on any provider of safe and effective medical devices, which includes stents, cannot be undermined. When the NPPA said that it would reconsider its decision to cap prices, it was perhaps hoping to somehow, carefully and logically, ground its decision.

Source: The Hindu February 04, 2018 00:32 UTC