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After coronary stents, knee implant prices slashed by almost 69 pc

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The reduction in implant prices – ranging between 59 and 69 per cent – will annually help an average of 1.5 lakh patients who require the orthopaedic knee transplant procedure, says Union minister for chemicals and fertilizers, Ananth Kumar

In a welcome move that is expected to benefit at least 1.5 lakh people annually, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has asserted its powers of price control and regulation to slash the rates of knee implants by a massive 69 per cent.

The move by the NPPA, which had earlier this year reduced the price of coronary stents by a steep 85 per cent, comes within a day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement during his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in which he had assured that the price of knee replacement will be brought down

The decision by the drug pricing watchdog is expected to yield a combined saving of around Rs 1,500 crore annually for some 1-1.5 lakh patients who require the knee replacement procedure, claimed Union minister for chemicals and fertilizers, Ananth Kumar.

“After cardiac stents, we have now decided to bring knee implants under price control,” Kumar said, shortly after the NPPA issued the notification announcing the cap in knee implant prices. “The government will not be a mute spectator to illegal and unethical profiteering (by hospitals and medical equipment suppliers),” Kumar said, while adding that the government will take stringent action against hospitals, importers and retailers “if they charge in excess of the maximum retail price (MRP).”

These prices are exclusive of goods and services tax, but take trade margins for manufacturers or importers, distributors and hospitals into account, according to the NPPA

Type of implant New price (excl GST) Earlier price Reduction
Cobalt Chromium

(most widely used implant)

Rs 54,720 Rs1.58 lakh 65 %
Titanium & Oxidised Zirconium Rs 76,600 Rs 2.49 lakh 69 %
High flexibility Rs 56, 490 Rs 1.82 lakh 69 %
Revised rate for those patients who require a second implant surgery Rs 1.14 lakh Rs 2.77 lakh 59 %

The price of total knee implants made of cobalt chromium has now been capped at Rs 54,720, down 65% from its average maximum retail price of Rs 1.58 lakh, according to the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers which also notes that these are the most widely used complete knee implants in the country.

As per the NPPA notification, total knee implants made of special metals like titanium and oxidized zirconium can be priced at a maximum of Rs 76,600, or 69% lower than the original average MRP. High-flexibility implants have also seen a similar reduction in the maximum price to Rs 56,490. Revision implants, used in repeat procedures when the initial knee implant has failed, is capped 59% lower at Rs 1.14 lakh, down from an average of Rs 2.77 lakh.

The NPPA has also clarified that special knee implants for cancer or tumours will follow the prices of revision knee implants.

A report in The Economic Times quoted a statement by NPPA as: “Out of 1.5-2 crore patients who require arthroplasty interventions, only around a lakh are in a position to pay for the procedure every year”. The NPPA has also cited a World Health Organization (WHO) bulletin from 2003 which states that ‘osteoarthritis could become the fourth leading cause of disability by 2020’ and India is likely to be one of the leading countries of such immobilized citizens in terms of numbers.

“As the public is aware, prices remain too high for devices across the board. We would like this to be the start for NPPA to systematically fix prices of all other devices on which data was collected in public interest,” Malini Aisola of patient group All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) told the Economic Times. Aisola, however, also cautioned that “price reductions will not be successful without a check on the hospital rates.”

As such, the NPPA has said that no healthcare institution that provides the facility of orthopaedic surgical procedures using knee implants can solicit any patient to buy the knee implant from it which effectively means that a patient is free to procure implants from a third-party and is not bound to buy it from the hospital where he/she is getting the surgical procedure performed.

The NPPA has also directed healthcare institutions to mention the cost of the knee implants component wise. The brand name, name of the manufacturer, importer, batch number, specifications and other details should all be mention in the institution’s estimate, performa invoice or final bill given to the patient.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Lok Sabha elections: Priyanka Gandhi questions Centre on inflation, unemployment, farmers income under Congress media campaign

She questioned about no participation of Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and poor upper castes in the posts and resources of the country.

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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the BJP led government at the Centre on several developmental issues under the party’s media campaign for Lok Sabha elections, Mere Vikas ka Do Hisaab.

Priyanka Gandhi asked the BJP government to give it an account of development during its tenure of 10 years. Slamming the government on youth issues, the congress leader questioned why 83 per cent of the total unemployed in the country are youth and where are the 2 crore jobs annually? She further asked about vacancy in 30 lakh government posts and exam paper being leaked.

Alleging that corporates Rs 16 lakh crore has been waived off, Priyanka Gandhi asked why are farmers committing suicide due to debt. She also asked when will the farmers’ income double and when will they get MSP? She also enquired about no proper participation of Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and poor upper castes in the posts and resources of the country.

The Congress General Secretary also raised questions on the increasing number of atrocities on women. Her remarks on social media  platform, X came on a day Congress ran a media campaign with the tagline ‘Mere Vikas Ka Do Hisaab’ and ‘Haath badlega halaat’, posing questions to the Modi government.

Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making a systematic effort to cripple the Congress financially and deny a level playing field in the Lok Sabha election. The Income Tax Department reportedly restricted the operations of the bank accounts following a tax dispute.

Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department asserted that it has not frozen the party’s bank account, but has made a recovery of Rs 135 crore because of its violation of the law that grants political parties tax exemptions. It added that the party is free to operate these accounts beyond the money recovered by the department.

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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, wife Gurpreet Kaur blessed with a baby girl

Mann is the first chief minister in the history of re-organised Punjab to become a father while in office. He is 51 years old.

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Punjab Chief Minister Bhaghwant Mann and his wife Gurpreet Kaur were blessed with a baby girl on Thursday. Mann took to X and posted that the Almighty has given him the gift of a daughter. He said both the mother and the girl are healthy. According to reports the baby was delivered at Fortis hospital Mohali.

Mann is the first chief minister in the history of re-organised Punjab to become a father while in office. He is 51 years old. He has 2 children with his ex-wife, who is now settled in Canada with the 2 children.  

Mann also shared the picture of his daughter in another post. Mann had married Kaur in 2022 after he separated from his first wife in 2015. His wedding was held at his residence in Chandigarh and was attended by select guests like Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, MP Raghav Chadha.

The Punjab chief minister’s family members including his mother and his sister were also part of the wedding, which was carried out according to Sikh rituals. Comedian turned politician Bhagwant Mann became an MP from Sangrur for the first time when he won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on Aam Aadmi Party ticket.

His first wife Inderjit Kaur also campaigned for him during the elections. Before the Punjab assembly election the Aam Aadmi Party declared him as his CM face for Punjab. He won the elections with a thumping victory. Bhagwant Mann is the 17th chief minister of Punjab. Mann’s 2nd wife Gurpreet Kaur, born in 1993, is a doctor by profession and studied MBBS in Ambala. She hails from Pehowa town in Kurukshetra district. According to reports Gurpreet Kaur’s family and Mann’s family have known each other for a long time.

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Dera chief of Uttarakhand’s Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara shot dead within premises

Baba Tarsem Singh was hurried to a hospital in Khatima where he died during treatment.

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Dera chief of the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurudwara in Uttarakhand was shot dead within the premises of the shrine by two bike-borne assailants on Thursday. A CCTV footage showed the brutal killing of the dera chief of the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara.

The footage shared by news agency PTI shows the dera chief sitting on a chair at around 6:30 am in the premises when two bike-borne assailants arrived and fired at him. Udham Singh Nagar, SSP, Manju Nath asserted that Baba Tarsem Singh was hurried to a hospital in Khatima where he died during treatment.

Notably, the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara is a revered Sikh shrine situated on the Rudrapur-Tanakpur route in Udham Singh Nagar district of the state. Reportedly, the Uttarakhand Police has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the chilling murder. 

Furthermore, additional police personnel have been deployed in the Nanakmatta area of Udham Singh Nagar district to ensure peace. The police have also appealed to the Sikh community to maintain peace. The Police officials have also contacted central agencies to share useful input, and a massive search operation is underway to nab the culprits.

Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar said that they received information around 7 am on Thursday that between 6:15-6:30 am, two masked assailants entered Nanakmatta Gurdwara and shot Kar Seva Pramukh Baba Tarsem Singh. He added that the Dera chief was rushed to the hospital in Khatima, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The DGP mentioned that this is a very serious matter and that senior officials have reached the spot. He affirmed that DIG Kumaon will inspect the scene of the crime and speak to the locals. Furthermore, he will try to assess the situation there. Abhinav Kumar also mentioned that for investigation of the incident, Police Headquarters has formed an SIT, which will comprise officials of STF and local Police.

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