New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- The Centre has begun consultations with private hospitals on billing practices and the pricing of surgical consumables, after Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe called for a national review of wide gaps between hospitals' procurement costs and the maximum retail prices (MRPs) charged to patients, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) convened an urgent meeting with private hospitals on Thursday to understand their billing mechanisms and the economics of inpatient consumable procurement. Major private hospital operators, including Max Healthcare, Jeewan Hospital, Marengo Asia, Aakhash Healthcare and Yashoda, along with offic...