Drug price hike continues in Ctg

Medicine traders are hiking price of pain and fever medicine and disinfectant items with the excuse of supply shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic in Chattogram city.

While visiting a large wholesale drug market in the city's Hazari Goli area, this correspondent found that drugs were being sold at double the usual price. This included cold medication, cough syrup, antibiotics, diabetes, heart medication, vitamin-C tablet, hand sanitiser and other items used to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Faisal Ahmed, who visits this market from Agrabad to buy medicine at cheaper prices, told The Daily Star, "It appears there is little change in prices here in comparison to the local pharmacy."

He said, "Even the price of paracetamol has doubled. I bought a strip of C-vit tablet for Tk 40 and a strip of Napa at Tk 30, almost double the usual prices."

Another customer Shorif Uddin said that he bought a strip of antibiotic azithromycin for Tk 650, which is much higher than its usual price of Tk 350-375. 

He said "I also bought one litre of Savlon at Tk 490 although the maximum retail price was given Tk 225."

Traders said a supply shortage caused by a sudden rise in demand for some drugs was to blame for the price hikes.  

Zishu Sarkar, owner of Sarkar Medico in Hazari Goli, said he had to buy drugs at inflated prices from agents as companies were not supplying products as per the orders. "This is why we have to overcharge customers," he claimed.

Retailers at other areas of the city claimed that the wholesalers had "engineered" price hikes by stocking up on drugs during the ongoing crisis.

Anupam Barua, owner of Diba pharmacy at Hamzarbag area told The Daily Star "Some traders have drugs but are asking for higher prices. if we refuse to pay the higher price, then they refuse to sell."

Hossain Md Imran, assistant director of Chattogram office of the Directorate General of Drug Administration, said, "There should be no crisis because we ensured all companies to manufacture 27 drugs which are mostly used for fever, flu and symptoms similar to Covid-19."

"We have already conducted several drives but not found any proof of price hikes," he added.

Mohammad Kamal Hossain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram District Administration told The Daily Star, "We continue our mobile court operation to control price hike of drugs and instructed traders to sell at the usual price. If anybody defies this, we will take action."

There are more than 25,000 pharmacies in Chattogram, according to the drug administration.

SM Nazer Hossain, Vice President of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) said the government should take legal action against an alleged syndicate behind the price hike, but till now there has been no monitoring  to stop it.