Kozhikode: Indian College of Cardiology (ICC), an association of cardiologists, has urged the government to ensure the quality of stents being used in hospitals across the country in the wake of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority capping the price of drug eluting stents at ₹29,600.
ICC president P.K. Asokan told reporters here on Wednesday that the reduction in prices might impact the import of third-generation stents, and that the government should make sure that their quality remained intact. He claimed that the prices being charged for stents in Kerala were much less compared to those in other States.
However, Ravi S. Menon, Drugs Controller, said doctors could continue to use stents imported by major companies. “There is no question of compromising quality as most of these companies produce world-class stents,” he added. According to him, 45,000 to 48,000 stents are being used a year in the State, and the Pariyaram Cooperative Medical College uses the maximum number of them. “It is possible to ensure quality while keeping prices affordable,” he added.
Meanwhile, ICC State vice president K.K. Balakrishnan called upon the authorities to set up facilities at government and private hospitals for conducting angioplasty at affordable rates. “Efforts should be made to offer treatment for cardiac ailments in private hospitals under the the Karunya scheme,” he said.
Dr. Asokan said that those who worked in radiation centres were exposed to high radiation, and they should be given special allowances considering them as a special group.
