'Hospitals, stent suppliers to face action for overcharging'

Hospitals and stent suppliers will face legal action, including suspension of their license, if they are found to be overcharging patients, Union minister Ananth Kumar said here today.
"The Centre has slashed prices of stent by 85 per cent and everybody should adhere to it. Those flouting norms will face legal action including suspension of their license," he said.
The minister was in Mumbai to campaign for BJP ahead of the February 21 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
Kumar, who is minister for parliamentary affairs, chemicals and fertilisers, said, "Institutes and stent suppliers will take a few more days to adjust to the new prices, but we are not backing out on it".

"The government wants to stop exploitation of people. Earlier, the government did not act swiftly on such changes and people with cardiac issues continued to shell out higher amount for stents," he said.
On controversy surrounding his alleged conversation with Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa, he said, "I was talking to Yeddyurappa for some time in which I shared my conversation with CM Siddaramaiah. Of the total conversation, only 55 seconds were selected and it has been released to create controversy. I challenge the Congress to release the entire CD of our conversation, then they will come to know the reality."

Congress had accused Kumar and former Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa of misusing power by collecting "ill-gotten money" and dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack them from the party and lodge an FIR against them.