Forum to file PIL to regulate prices of essential medical equipment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “The government should take immediate steps to regulate the prices of essential medical equipment and products relating to Covid-19. At this time of crisis, it’s disheartening to see traders hiking prices. Just because there is a demand, they should not exploit the public. It’s the responsibility of the government to make available pulse oximeters and thermal scanners at affordable costs for the public who are struggling to survive the pandemic.

The government was able to reduce the rate of RT-PCR tests in the state. Similar interventions should be made,” said M Sashidharan Nair, general secretary of CONFRA Consumer Forum. He said the forum is gearing up to file a public interest litigation in this regard seeking government intervention to regulate the prices of essential Covid goods.

There is no control on the prices of hand sanitisers too. “The transportation of raw materials used for manufacturing masks from Delhi has stalled because of the Covid crisis there. In situations like this when the demand is more, the quality of the products often gets compromised. It’s a fact that good quality N95 masks are scarce in the state,” said an official source.

The majority of the medical shops in Thiruvananthapuram district are selling large-size bottles of hand sanitisers. Small bottles are unavailable. Import restrictions on raw materials from China have come as a huge blow and are adversely impacting their availability. “The spare parts of hand sanitiser bottles are imported from China and now packaging materials are unavailable,” said the official. The prices of the hand sanitisers have gone up following the demand.

“The Centre had withdrawn the order regulating the prices of hand sanitisers after six months following the first wave. All this comes under the purview of the Centre and the state has no say in that,” said an official of the Drug Controls Department.