Thermometers, pulse oximeters in high demand across Jharkhand

RANCHI: With the steep rise in Covid-19 cases in the state, people have started stocking up on basic medical devices like thermometers and pulse oximeters besides gloves, sanitizers, paracetamol and vitamin C tablets for emergency purposes. The sale of ayurvedic concoctions have also gone up and in some places, a few residents have arranged for portable oxygen converters and cylinders. Among the items, the demand for thermometers is the highest in the city and are in short supply even after branded manufacturers have scaled up production and hiked prices.
Mukesh Kumar Sinha, a medicine stockist and retailer at the Station Road here, said despite the increase in the price of thermometers manufactured by a well-known medical equipment manufacturing company, the item continues to be in short supply. “As against a usual price of Rs 140 per piece, thermometers are now selling for Rs 199. The demand for pulse oximeters has also increased,” he said. Earlier pulse oximeters were procured only by medical institutions, hospitals and nursing homes, but now commoners are buying the gadget which has a Rs 1,500 price tag.
“A pulse oximeter helps monitor the level of oxygen saturation in the blood and with a lot of information available on the internet, people, who are not medically qualified, are also keeping the device and in one week, we have sold several pieces,” Sinha said.
Though there is no shortage of paracetamol or vitamin C pills in the market, their sales have gone up like never before. Rohit Kumar, manager of Narmada Medico at the Main Road, said he has sold vitamin C tablets in large numbers in the past three months. “After the initial crisis of sanitizers, most drug manufacturing companies started producing these on a mass scale and there is a huge stock of all brands and in all standard volumes,” he said, adding that surgical gloves and masks are also in high demand.
Apart from medical equipment, the sale of ayurvedic preparations has also picked up pace. People have started consuming various herbal juices and concoctions after getting tips and suggestions from different sources to boost their immunity. A doctor in alternative medicines and naturopathy, Dr Sumita, said there is no harm in consuming aloe vera or giloy juice every day on an empty stomach or taking two spoons of chyawanprash. “I have recommended these items to those coming to me for consultations so that they can maintain their health. Many of them are also using ayurvedic preparations according to their understanding and choice,” she said.
In the Steel City, there is a 50% jump in the sale of pulse oximeters. Medical equipment stockist Kamal Agarwal said people, in general, are scared of the virus and began stocking up items, which they think might vanish from the stalls but will be required in cases of emergency.
He said the sale of thermometers has marginally increased and added that the demand for oxygen cylinders has also jumped. “Oxygen cylinders are supplied to the hospitals and nursing homes according to their demand and not meant for the common people but some have started buying them,” he said.
A functionary of the Jamshedpur Pharmacists Association said, “In the wake of the increasing cases of the Covid-19, the demand of the oxygen cylinders has witnessed a considerable jump as the hospitals have started stocking them up.”
Dr Aninda Mandal, chairperson of the Infection Control Committee at Bokaro General Hospital in Bokaro, said there is no point stocking oxygen cylinders at home. “If a patient requires oxygen, he or she has to be transferred to the hospital because adequate oxygen cannot be supplied for long from cylinders. It is just a way to buy some time for the patient to be shifted to a hospital,” he said.
(With Inputs from B Sridhar in Jamshedpur and Divy Khare in Bokaro)