New Delhi, March 4 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply criticised state governments for failing to provide affordable medical care and infrastructure, particularly in ensuring access to reasonably priced medicines, including essential drugs, for economically disadvantaged sections of society, media reports said.

This failure, the court remarked, had "facilitated and promoted private hospitals," reported NDTV.

The petition sought directives to prevent private hospitals from forcing patients to buy exclusively from their own pharmacies.

The court underscored that it is the responsibility of state governments to ensure adequate medical care.

It noted that some states had failed in this duty, thereby enabling private entities to thriv...