Inspection Orders Target Overcharging on MRPs in Tamil Nadu Hospitals

Tamil Nadu’s Drugs Control Directorate has launched inspection orders to curb alleged overcharging of medicines at hospitals. Complaints allege that hospitals purchase drugs at discounted rates but bill patients the full maximum retail price (MRP) or higher. Inspectors will scrutinize purchase bills, procurement costs, printed MRPs, and the final sale price on patient invoices.

The focus will be on identifying large price gaps, suspicious billing patterns, and any violations of pricing or labeling regulations. All findings must be recorded with proper documentation and compiled into a single report for the Directorate. Where violations are proven, the Directorate will invoke the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013 to impose penalties and corrective measures.

The directive also emphasizes the need for meticulous record‑keeping, urging hospitals to maintain transparent procurement and billing logs to avoid future discrepancies.