‘Turning patients into prey’: Kharge attacks Centre over soaring medical costs

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday attacked the Narendra Modi government over the cost of healthcare, alleging that patients were being subjected to excessive charges and steep markups on basic medical consumables. Marking World Patient Safety Day, Kharge accused the Centre of “turning patients into prey” and claimed that it had failed to act against practices that were adding to the financial burden on families seeking medical treatment.

Flags steep markups

In a post on X, Kharge cited a Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration report to claim that hospitals were charging markups as high as 2,841 per cent on basic medical consumables, including intravenous products. He described the practice as exploitation of patients, particularly in private hospitals, and argued that the problem required stronger intervention from the government. The Congress chief also cited medical inflation of 14 per cent, saying rising healthcare costs were already putting considerable pressure on household finances.

Kharge accused the Union government of failing to crack down on intermediaries and practices that he alleged were responsible for inflated treatment costs. His remarks focused on the gap between the prices at which certain medical products were procured and the amounts ultimately charged to patients, an issue that has repeatedly prompted demands for greater transparency in hospital billing and stronger regulation of medical consumables.

Treatment costs flagged

The Congress president also referred to survey findings on patients’ experiences with healthcare expenses. He claimed that 68 per cent of respondents had complained about excessive treatment costs, while 56 per cent had flagged high ICU or room charges and 51 per cent had raised concerns over the prices of medicines and medical consumables. Kharge sought to link these expenses with broader cost-of-living pressures, arguing that households were simultaneously dealing with increases in food and other essential expenses.

His comments came on World Patient Safety Day, observed annually on September 17. This year’s global campaign focuses on safe care for people with noncommunicable diseases under the slogan “Safe care for life”. Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular ailments, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases frequently require prolonged treatment and repeated interaction with healthcare systems.

Patient safety focus

The World Health Organization estimates that one in 10 patients globally experiences harm while receiving healthcare and that around half of such harm is preventable. People suffering from long-term illnesses can face greater risks because they often require continuing treatment across different healthcare settings.

Kharge used the occasion to broaden the debate over patient safety to include the financial burden of treatment, arguing that affordability was inseparable from access to healthcare. He also took a political swipe at the BJP, accusing it of misgovernance and demanding stronger government action against excessive hospital charges and medical markups.