The Karnataka High Court has issued notices to the state government and the Union health ministry on a petition challenging Karnataka’s order requiring private hospitals and nursing homes to disclose the landing base price of medicines, medical equipment and consumables.
A single-judge bench headed by Justice C.M. Poonacha directed notices to the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drugs Administration and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The court adjourned the matter to Friday, October 30, according to a report by Prajavani.
The writ petition was filed by Dr Shobha Prakash, president of an association representing private hospitals and nursing homes, along with other petitioners. The challenge concerns a circular issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drugs Administration on October 1.
Under the circular, private hospitals and other healthcare institutions would be required to disclose the landing base price of medicines, medical equipment and consumables from November 1. The term refers to the basic import or purchase price of an item before additional charges and margins are applied.
The proposed disclosure requirement places the source cost of hospital-supplied items at the centre of the dispute. In private healthcare facilities, medicines, devices and consumables are routinely included in treatment bills, but patients may not otherwise see the underlying purchase price for each item. The circular therefore seeks to make a specific component of hospital pricing visible to patients and other stakeholders.
The court’s notice does not amount to a ruling on the legality of the circular. It begins the process of seeking responses from the authorities named as respondents in the petition. The state’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration and the Union health ministry will now be required to respond to the challenge.
The dispute also highlights the administrative complexity of regulating prices within private healthcare institutions. The state circular covers multiple categories of goods, including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and consumables, while the petition has been brought by organisations representing hospitals and nursing homes that would be responsible for implementing the disclosure requirement.
The next development is expected when the matter returns before the High Court on October 30. The proceedings will determine how the government and the petitioners frame their positions on the circular and its proposed implementation from November 1.
