- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- IAS Tukaram Mundhe exposes huge hospital consumable pricing gap.
- Patients pay inflated MRPs, unaware of actual procurement costs.
- Regulatory gap for medical devices needs urgent NPPA review.
IAS Tukaram Mundhe has raised concerns over the pricing of hospital consumables, warning that patients may be paying high rates on medical products and devices without knowing their actual procurement costs. In a post on X, Mundhe said, “The most expensive part of a hospital bill may never touch the hospital at all.” He highlighted the gap between the trade rates and the prices borne by the patients."
Mundhe further mentioned that a survey of hospital consumables in Maharashtra found an IV infusion set with a trade price of Rs 11.05 carrying a printed MRP of Rs 325; a markup of 2,841 per cent. A syringe procured at Rs 6.75 carried an MRP of Rs 57.20. A catheter procured at Rs 29.41 carried an MRP of Rs 310.
Drawing attention to the issue, he said that the patients have no means to actually evaluate the cost. “Patients cannot compare prices, seek alternatives, or question a number printed on a box while receiving care and the MRP itself is often fixed upstream by manufacturers and distributors, disconnected from the trade price by a wide, unexplained margin,” Mundhe remarked.
Highlighting the regulatory gap, Mundhe said, “Scheduled medicines are capped under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. Most medical devices and consumables are not leaving both the pricing and the information around it almost entirely unmonitored.”
The officer stated that a review of these findings have been recommended to the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the NPPA.
The most expensive part of a hospital bill may never touch the hospital at all.
— Tukaram Mundhe (@Tukaram_IndIAS) September 15, 2026
A patient admitted for care has no way of knowing whether the price on a medical consumable reflects its actual cost or a markup fixed long before it ever reached the ward. That gap in information…
In August, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a major crackdown on prominent restaurants and food outlets in Mumbai’s Colaba area over food. Here again, FDA Commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe, had suspended the licences of 13 food establishments for violations of hygiene and public health regulations.
The outlets facing action included the renowned Bombay Presidency Radio Club, the McDonald’s Family Restaurant kiosk in Colaba and Status Restaurant, among others.
An inspection of the McDonald’s Family Restaurant kiosk at Metro House in Colaba, Mumbai, under Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd at Metro House was conducted by FDA, which reportedly found several serious violations.
According to the FDA, the premises had major hygiene deficiencies, including the presence of live cockroaches. Irregularities related to the storage of food items were also detected.