Govt cuts prices of cardiac stents, issues pricing guidelines
Hospitals and healthcare providers have been instructed to ensure that stents are sold strictly according to the approved maximum retail price (MRP) and are not bundled into treatment packages.
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has revised the prices of cardiac stents, a critical medical device used in the treatment of heart disease, reducing the cost of several commonly used products.
The revised prices were announced in a notification signed by DGDA Director General (Additional Secretary) Md Alamgir Hossain today (9 June).
A cardiac stent is a tube-shaped device inserted into the coronary arteries to keep them open and maintain blood flow to the heart in patients suffering from coronary artery disease.
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According to the notification, the prices were re-fixed based on recommendations from a committee formed under the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The revised list shows price reductions ranging from around Tk3,000 to Tk5,000 for several widely used stents. For example, some stents previously priced at Tk60,000 will now cost Tk57,000, while stents priced at Tk55,000 and Tk53,500 have been reduced to Tk52,000 and Tk50,000 respectively.
The largest price cut was applied to the Silene Covered Stent manufactured by InSitu Technologies Inc of the United States. Its maximum retail price has been reduced from Tk109,800 to Tk62,000.
The updated price list covers stents imported by companies including Advanced Meditech, Asia Pacific Medics Ltd, Alliance Medicare and others, with products manufactured in countries such as Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and the United States.
The DGDA has directed all hospitals to display the updated stent price list prominently on their notice boards for public awareness. Hospitals and healthcare providers have also been instructed to ensure that stents are sold strictly according to the approved maximum retail price (MRP) and are not bundled into treatment packages.
The notification further states that separate cash memos must be issued for stent purchases, clearly mentioning the stent's name, MRP and manufacturer's name. Hospitals must also provide patients with the packaging of the stent used during their treatment.
The DGDA urged all hospitals providing cardiac care to comply with the approved pricing structure and related directives.
