Reviewing package rates for AB-PMJAY essential for quality healthcare: MTaI

Medical Technology Association of India, which represents leading research-based medical technology companies with significant investments in India, today said that the government's move to set up specialist committees to review package rates for more than 1300 health procedures under AB-PM JAY gives a chance to correct the currently low and unviable rates for several procedures. "Setting up of committees to evaluate the current package rates under AB-PM JAY is a step in the right direction. However, we hope for the inclusion of all stakeholders in these crucial decisions to adequately address all concerns. The current AB-PM JAY procedure rates are quite low. For several procedures, the rates are even lower than those of CGHS, making them unviable. It has been a long-standing request from hospitals as well as the MedTech industry for revision of these rates," said Pavan Choudary, Chairman and Director General, MTaI.

"Unlike CGHS, the cost of the medical device is subsumed in AB-PM JAY package cost. The industry looks forward to this re-evaluation exercise and hopes that the government will consider segregating the device cost from the procedure cost to ensure that the basic minimum quality of devices is maintained", he added. "We also urge the government to promote patient choice and access by allowing them to top-up, if they wish to upgrade and go for a higher quality of device or procedure," he concluded.

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