Bhubaneswar, Oct. 4 -- For a family already struggling with the cost of treatment, an expensive hospital bill can be difficult enough. But when the price of medicines adds several times more to that bill, the financial burden can become overwhelming.

The issue came under the Supreme Court's scrutiny during a hearing on healthcare costs and medicine pricing. The court referred to an example where a medicine with a retail price of around Rs 2,700 was allegedly being sold for Rs 27,000, raising questions about the margins charged on medicines in private hospitals.

The court also expressed concern over the way some hospital pharmacies operate and whether patients are effectively left with little choice when purchasing medicines during treat...