The Congress on Monday attacked the Narendra Modi government over the rising cost of medicines, alleging that patients across the country were being burdened by exorbitant healthcare expenses.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the government had failed to ensure affordable medicines and took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the time was fast approaching for him to “pick up jhola and leave”.
Sharing a media report on X about discrepancies between the procurement cost and maximum retail price (MRP) of medicines, Ramesh alleged that the Modi government’s “anti-people policies” had increased the burden of expensive medicines on patients.
“An injection costing Rs 74 is being sold for Rs 4,980,” Ramesh claimed, adding that patients in Uttar Pradesh were being charged up to 67 times the actual cost of healthcare services.
He also claimed that a 21-day course of a drug for a life-threatening disease such as cancer could cost around Rs 58,000, taking the annual expenditure to nearly Rs 10 lakh.
“The issue is not merely the price of one drug; it concerns the policy priorities of a government that has been in power for 12 years,” Ramesh said.
He cited Sections 92 and 100 of the Patents Act, which provide for government use and measures in public interest, and questioned why the provisions had not been used to provide relief to patients.
Ramesh also referred to a Kerala High Court ruling, which he said had clarified that the government could manufacture or authorise the production of patented life-saving medicines and make them available to needy patients on a non-commercial basis.
“When the law contains such provisions and the High Court has clearly outlined the path, the Modi government must explain why life-saving medicines remain out of reach for patients,” he said.
Ramesh asked the prime minister when affordable medicines would be ensured for patients and ended with a reference to Modi’s earlier “jhola uthane ka samay” remark.
“Prime Minister, when will affordable medicines be ensured for patients? Otherwise, as you yourself once said, ‘jhola uthane ka samay jaldi aa raha hai’ (the time to pick up the bag and leave is approaching fast),” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)