Prices of some commonly prescribed essential medicines have suddenly increased, especially amid the corona crisis causing immense problems for patients. Certain syndicates are said to be controlling such illicit practice in absence of proper monitoring.
According to some recent investigations by law enforcement agencies, the prices of analgesic medicine manufactured by Beximco brand named - Napa, Square pharmaceutical’s medicines - Fexo, Zemax and Cevit tablets are now costlier at retail drug stores. The list also includes antibiotics, including antihistamines and antimalarial drugs.
While visiting several pharmacies in the capital's Khilgaon, Rampura, Badda, and other parts, a good number of consumers alleged that they are unable to find commonly used medicines. They also feared that, if such an artificial crisis takes a toll, the price of those will go beyond general people's buying capacity.
According to many customers, Hexisol, an antiseptic hand rub, which costs Tk 150 before corona crisis, now costs Tk 300 or even more apiece. A strip of Napa which costs Tk 20 before now cost Tk 40 or more. A surgical mask which was Tk 5 only, is now selling at Tk 30 apiece and a pair of plastic hand gloves costs Tk 40 or more whereas it was sold at Tk 15 before. Such anarchy in medicine prices is found almost at every drug store.
Lokman Hakim, a medicine buyer at Rampura’s Lazz Pharma told drug store this correspondent that after visiting several shops in his residential area he finally came at the shop with a hope to get some medicine that he needed but found none.
"We are deprived of everything due to the artificial market crisis. In this pandemic situation, if we do not get drugs needed to prevent or cure ailments, we would then have to struggle to survive," he added.
It is to be noted that the pharmacies are selling some common drugs used for the treatment of coronavirus at twice the fixed price to make extra profit. A strip of Ivera (6 mg) tablet which is Tk 750 is sold at Tk 2400 now, a strip of Scabo, also 6 mg tablets which used to be sold at Tk 50 is now Tk 800, a strip of Zinc tablet now cost twice its normal price at Tk 50, same with (vitamin C) Ceevit tablet now sold at Tk 50 which is only Tk 10.
Law enforcers raiding some drug stores in the city said that a syndicate is now controlling such illicit medicine business artificially creating crisis and raising prices of the drugs now on high demand due to corona crisis.
For such an artificial and unethical practices, mobile courts fined 29 drugstores Tk 10.93 lakh and arrested three owners for realising higher price of drugs on the corona pandemic at Hazarigali in Chattogram on Sunday.
Amid the outbreaks of the coronavirus, there have been reports of outbreaks of other diseases including seasonal fever and influenza, dengue, and malaria. In this situation, due non availability of doctors in their chambers and the fact that reluctance to admit patients in most of the public and private hospitals, many patients are now helplessly knocking at different pharmacies for remedies.
Meanwhile, many doctors are scanning prescriptions and posting on Facebook what details the patient should take for various diseases, including coronavirus.
