Home / Health / Hospitals' Pharmacies Under Fire for Price Gouging
Hospitals' Pharmacies Under Fire for Price Gouging
3 Oct
Summary
- 12 hospitals faced action for pharmacy rule violations on Sept 30-Oct 1.
- Inspectors found significant price gaps between medicine purchase and sale.
- 38 medicine samples collected for quality analysis amid irregularities.
In early October 2026, the Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration took action against 12 private hospitals in Lucknow due to non-compliance issues found in their pharmacies. Teams of drug inspectors conducted thorough checks on September 30 and October 1.
These inspections focused on crucial areas like pharmacist availability, medical oxygen, billing, and records for life-saving medicines. Inspectors also examined cold-chain maintenance, storage, and the pricing of medicines sold to patients compared to their purchase costs.
Significant price inflation was discovered, with some hospitals showing a large difference between medicine purchase and sale prices. Thirty-eight medicine samples were collected for quality analysis. One hospital's OPD pharmacy was closed for lacking essential documentation, and other facilities faced issues with stock records and medicine storage.
