Rationalise health care costs, regulate private hospitals: NPPA to govt

India spends roughly one percent of its gross domestic product on healthcare - among the lowest in the world

Government’s drug pricing authority called for better regulation of the country’s massive private healthcare industry on Friday to ensure government efforts to cut prices benefit patients.

To cut the cost of procedures such as angioplasty and knee surgery, India's National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has dramatically reduced prices of knee implants and cardiac stents in recent months.

The move has been hailed as a major effort by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make healthcare affordable, but it has been met with stiff resistance from healthcare providers.

Several hospitals across the country have hiked prices of related services which are an essential part of