New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- The Communist Party of India (CPI) called for urgent measures to curb "exploitative and unethical practices" in the healthcare sector, warning that it cannot be treated as a profit-driven enterprise.

In a statement on Saturday, CPI leader K Narayana said, "The increasing prevalence of unethical and exploitative practices in the healthcare sector has become a serious issue affecting millions of ordinary citizens. Incidents of unnecessary diagnostic tests, excessive treatment costs, inflated billing, and commission-based referrals point toward a disturbing commercialisation of medical services."

He emphasised that healthcare is a basic social obligation, not a profit-driven enterprise, and said, "What is widely descr...