Withdraw decision of NPPA increasing ceiling price of essential life-saving drug; CPI writes to PM

In the letter addressed to Prime Minister Modi, Viswam said, "On behalf of the common people in India, I request you to take immediate steps to withdraw the decision of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to increase the ceiling price of essential lifesaving drugs."

New Delhi: Communist Party of India (CPI) MP, Binoy Viswam on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to withdraw the decision of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority increasing the ceiling price of essential life-saving drugs.

In the letter addressed to Prime Minister Modi, Viswam said, "On behalf of the common people in India, I request you to take immediate steps to withdraw the decision of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to increase the ceiling price of essential lifesaving drugs."

"Though the government claims that this move is in public interest, the people apprehend that these steps would lead to a further financial burden on the common masses," he said.

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"While you have repeatedly made a call for "Ayushman Bharat", the reality is that even today the burden of health care is a cause of great indebtedness to millions of people across the country," the Rajya Sabha MP said in the letter.

"To increase the price of essential life-saving medicines is only going to make this worse. This decision is a direct attack on the common citizen of this country while serving the interests of large corporations. Given the clear ramifications of this move, I urge you to withdraw this decision and explore alternative solutions in securing the availability of affordable essential life-saving medicines," he added.

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