AiMeD Welcomes Gujarat Govt’s Rollback of Dual Pricing Order on Cardiac Stents
The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) has commended the Gujarat government’s decision to revoke its earlier order introducing differential pricing for cardiac stents under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme.
Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator of AiMeD, expressed gratitude towards Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel and Union Health Minister Mansukhbhai Mandaviya for acting swiftly on their appeal. “We sincerely thank the Gujarat Government for repealing the discriminatory pricing policy for cardiac stents. This decision is a strong endorsement of the ‘Make in India’ initiative and a significant boost to domestic manufacturers—who already hold over 70% of India’s stent market—including several key players based in Gujarat like Meril, SMT, AMS, and SLTL,” said Nath.
The now-revoked order had proposed a dual pricing structure: stents approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) were to be priced at Rs. 25,000 per unit, while those approved by India’s drug regulator were to be capped at Rs. 12,000. This move sparked widespread concern across the domestic medical device industry.
Gaurav Agarwal, Joint Coordinator at AiMeD and Managing Director of Innvolution Healthcare, criticized the earlier policy, alleging that it gave undue advantage to outdated foreign products. “Products no longer used in developed countries were being pushed onto Indian patients under the guise of superior quality. This narrative, fueled by certain vested interests within the medical community, must be investigated—especially when driven by questionable incentive structures. The government’s assurance to revoke this order is a welcome relief,” he said.
Dr. Ravi Rathod, General Manager at Innvolution and Joint Coordinator (Govt. Affairs) for AiMeD, echoed similar sentiments. “This is not the first time that questionable marketing practices in Gujarat’s cardiac care sector have surfaced. The dual pricing system would have unfairly tilted the playing field in favor of multinational corporations at the expense of Indian manufacturers and patient safety,” he remarked.
Consumer rights advocate Professor Bejon Misra also welcomed the rollback, saying, “We opposed the earlier policy that prioritized expensive, older-generation imported stents over affordable, high-quality domestic alternatives. The government’s prompt correction is commendable.”
He added, “No state or central authority should support discriminatory pricing based on country of origin. Patients deserve transparent information, ethical choices, and access to competitively priced medical products that meet high standards—regardless of origin.”
The revocation is being seen as a significant victory for India’s growing medical device sector and a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to fair pricing, patient safety, and local manufacturing.
