Arogyasri stent clause draws flak

Hyderabad: Cardiologists working in private hospitals in the city are upset with the Arogyasri Trust, which is asking them to use drug eluting stents for heart patients, and charge Rs 60,000 for the procedure. The market price of a drug eluting stent is Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.

A drug-eluting stent is placed in the coronary arteries and it releases a drug, which prevents organ enlargement.

President of the Cardiology Society of India Col. Dr Seetaram said, “Fixing the procedure cost at Rs 60,000 is not viable.  Restricting it to that sum will make it difficult for hospitals and cardiologists to function.”

Earlier, the Arogyasri Trust used metal stents, but recent incidences have shown that these have not worked very effectively.  A senior cardiologist explained, “The advanced stent is better, but at what price are they supplying it? Is the right quality going to be supplied? Restricting the sum will lead to the same consequences as with the bare metal stent. Patients suffered because the quality of bare-metal stents was not good. Do they want similar complaints for drug-eluting stents? The government must understand that quality matters. The Trust has to understand that to procure a good quality stent a good price must be paid.”

The stents are in great demand as more patients become aware of the procedure and with the Arogyasri facility, a lot of patients are opting for stents.