Tamil Nadu caps retail price of PPE kits at Rs 273 apiece, Rs 1,500 for oximeters

CHENNAI: Prices of 15 essential medical items used in Covid-19 care, including hand sanitizers, masks, PPE kits and oximeters, have been capped in Tamil Nadu as the state government has brought them under the essential articles control and requisitioning act.
Accordingly, 200ml of hand sanitizer cannot be sold beyond the maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 110, while customers need not have to pay more than Rs 22 for a N95 mask and fingertip pulse oximeters will be available for a maximum retail price of Rs 1,500. Similarly, one unit of sterile gloves and examination gloves should be marketed only at Rs 15 and Rs 5.75, respectively.
In a notification, health and family welfare secretary J Radhakrishnan said the director of drug control has informed the government that in order to ensure the availability of essential medical items during the Covid-19 pandemic at reasonable prices to people, it is necessary to declare certain items as essential articles under the Tamil Nadu Essential Articles Control and Requisitioning Act, 1949, and fix the MRP. The notification drafted on June 4 declares that 15 specified medical items are essential articles to be sold at specified MRP.