Maharashtra fixes PET-CT at Rs 10,250 in government hospitals, free scans for low-income patients

Pune: The Maharashtra government has brought relief to thousands of patients in the state by standardising the rates for costly imaging tests. A detailed order has been issued. It applies to PET-CT (Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography) scans and to MRI and CT tests that use contrast. The rule will apply in all government medical colleges and government hospitals, especially those where diagnostic centres run on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Under the new rate structure drawn up by the Medical Education Department, the total cost of a whole-body PET-CT scan is capped at Rs 10,250. This amount is for patients who pay for themselves. It includes the necessary contrast and the fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) radiopharmaceutical tracer. The rate works out to 50 per cent below the norms of common health packages.

Private diagnostic centres often charge Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 for similar advanced cancer tests. The new rate in government hospitals is a small fraction of that.

Besides PET-CT, the state government has also capped the charge for the contrast agent in MRI and CT tests at government tertiary care centres at Rs 950. The uniform rates were fixed after a close comparison of prices in several states, so that there is no confusion in operations and hidden laboratory surcharges end.

The policy divides patients into three categories so that everyone gets treatment on an equal footing.

The first category is free patients. Low-income patients enrolled under government schemes such as the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) and Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, or those referred by government medical officers, will get all advanced tests entirely free.

The second category is patients who pay a concessional rate. Patients who are not covered by any scheme but have been referred directly by government hospital doctors will pay the fixed concessional rate of Rs 10,250 for a PET-CT.

The third category is third-party referrals. Patients who come from outside or are sponsored will be charged the normal fee as per the agreement between the vendor and the institution.

To maintain transparency and prevent corruption, the order expressly bars private operators running PPP centres from taking cash or digital payments directly from patients or their families. All transactions will be made only at the government hospital's billing counter. State officials have warned that any private operator caught taking money directly will be fined under the strict terms of the agreement, and action will be taken immediately if the agreement is broken.

Deans and superintendents of all hospitals in Maharashtra have been told to display the new rate cards, in both English and Marathi, where everyone can see them clearly. The order has come into effect immediately, so that testing facilities are easily available across the state.