New Delhi: The government's national public insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat , has expanded access to hospital care but falls short when it comes to drug reimbursement, especially for chronic and rare conditions, with patients ending up paying out of their own pockets, said a study commissioned by India's drug pricing regulator.

The multi-jurisdictional study, conducted by Bengaluru-based Bridge Policy Think Tank, highlighted that the country continues to face "lack of transparency" in drug pricing methodologies and "insufficient mechanisms" for rare and speciality diseases.

"While we have achieved affordability in mass-market medicines, the same cannot be said for rare diseases and specialised therapies. India's challenge now lies not in manufacturing capability, but in building

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